Turkey and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) need to position each other as preferred partners to improve trade and relations in the future, said Ahmad Rizal Purnama, Indonesia’s ambassador to Ankara and chairman of ASEAN’s Ankara Committee.
In an exclusive interview with Daily Sabah, when asked what Indonesia’s priorities will be after taking over the ASEAN chair from Cambodia, Purnama stressed that a major theme will be “putting ASEAN under Turkey’s radar.”
The envoy explained that there have been at least two major events since he took over as chair: a joint telephone conference between Fidan and all ASEAN ambassadors for a “very frank and open dialogue” and a meeting with Defense Industries Board (SSB) head Haluk Görgün on Turkey-ASEAN defense industry cooperation.
“Our partnership is not reaching its full potential because neither Turkey nor ASEAN has positioned each other as key partners. This problem needs to be resolved. In our view, only by doing so can we harness its potential,” he added.
Purnama further reiterated that the group and Ankara have experienced important milestones that have allowed them to further build relations. In 2010, Turkey signed the ASEAN Treaty of Amity and Cooperation. In 2017, it was granted the status of Sectoral Dialogue Partner. Meanwhile, in 2019, Ankara launched the Asia-New Initiative to strengthen ties with the region.
“We need to redouble our efforts to make this initiative more substantial, to make it feel complete from both perspectives, and to make it felt by people on the ground.”
Turkey has launched the “Asia Anew” initiative to improve relations with Asian countries in various fields. The initiative presents a new vision that may shape the future of Turkey’s entire foreign policy. It aims to improve relations with Asian countries in various fields, including education, defense industry, investment, trade, technology, culture and political dialogue.
Turkey considers ASEAN a key organization in the region, given the country’s comprehensive economy, dynamic population and strategic location.
Purnama put the current state of the relationship in numbers: “Our partnership is below potential. There is a lot of room for growth and improvement. The market size is around 800 million and the current trade volume is too low.”
Therefore, Turkey’s total trade with ASEAN countries in 2023 will be only $14.6 billion, accounting for just 2.36% of Turkey’s total trade with the world that year.
“From ASEAN’s perspective, Turkey is unfortunately not yet a major trading partner either,” Purnama said, citing China, which has $730 billion in trade with ASEAN, and Japan, which has $227 billion in trade with ASEAN. ASEAN is also the fourth-largest trading partner for the United States, he said.
“We need to instill a new paradigm of partnership and create ASEAN enthusiasm among the Turkish people and business community. We need to create the same level of closeness that African countries enjoy with Turkey.”
Purnama said they have drawn up a roadmap with three major steps to strengthen ties.
“Firstly, we need to understand and raise awareness of each other’s potential. Southeast Asia is one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Indonesia alone will be the fourth largest economy in the world with a GDP of $10.5 trillion. Southeast Asia’s GDP will reach $22.6 trillion. This potential, these numbers alone should serve as a wake-up call for further engagement between ASEAN and Turkey,” he stressed.
Secondly, Purnama said there is a need to identify priority areas so that the bilateral partnership can contribute to the welfare of our people. According to Purnama, key priorities should include trade, energy transition, digitalization and disaster management.
He also said that an ASEAN research center may be established in Turkey in the future to strengthen relations. He said he will work hard to achieve this step, which he said will be a major milestone in strengthening relations.
“Since my arrival in Turkey, I have met with almost all university rectors in Ankara and other cities. I have specifically raised this issue and it has attracted their attention. I have also spoken with Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. It is time for Turkey to establish an ASEAN center in the country,” the ambassador said, suggesting that the center was likely to be set up at a university in the capital soon.
“Partnership for the Future”
However, in addition to the bilateral level, ASEAN and Turkey can also have a global reach, the ambassador stressed.
“Third, we need to ensure that our partnership makes a positive contribution to the world. In such a chaotic and polarized world, ASEAN and Turkey are regional powers with global influence. We can do more,” he said. “What we are seeing now is that the world is driven by a few countries and their narrow interests. They don’t want us to grow.”
“The ASEAN-Turkey partnership is a partnership of the future,” Purnama added.
Purnama said there was a need for breakthroughs and an approach to thinking outside the box, saying: “In Turkey’s second century, we need to move beyond our comfort zone and traditional partners and towards a future of global growth, our region.”
He also said there was a need to open up market access and remove trade barriers.
“ASEAN has signed free trade agreements with major countries such as China, Japan, South Korea, India, Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand, and is also working on an agreement with Canada. Turkey has only two free trade agreements in the region, with Malaysia and Singapore. Let’s finish negotiations with Indonesia first.”
“Peace is a given”
Purnama also noted President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s recent speech after a cabinet meeting last week in which he explained the country’s foreign policy and emphasized a comprehensive approach.
“We do not turn our backs on the East for the West, nor do we ignore the West for the East. We are improving relations with all countries in line with our nation’s interests, including our neighbors. With this understanding, we have taken historic steps to expand Turkey’s sphere of influence over the past 22 years,” the president said.
Meanwhile, Purnama said Southeast Asia has become a net contributor to peace. “I think we can all agree that this region is now the most stable in the world. This didn’t happen overnight, it took 50 years. We have invested heavily in building a comprehensive regional security architecture guided by the habit of dialogue and opening all doors to mutually beneficial cooperation. Promoting peace has become our norm.”
Purnama said ASEAN’s experience could serve as a good example for other regions, saying, “Turkey can play this role in building a similar security system in the Middle East, where such a system does not exist. Turkey can play an active role for peace and stability. We must not forget that national interests are closely linked to regional interests.”
