Jakarta (ANTARA News) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), accompanied by First Lady Iriana, left for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to attend the upcoming ASEAN Summit on November 21-22, 2015.

The Indonesian presidential plane took off from the Halim Perdanakusuma air force base in eastern Jakarta at 5 p.m. and is expected to arrive in Kuala Lumpur at 8 p.m. local time.

President Jokowi is scheduled to attend 10 meetings, including bilateral ones with some ASEAN leaders, the ASEAN Business Council meeting, the ASEAN Plus Three (China, South Korea, Japan) meeting, and the East Asian Business Council meeting.

At the ASEAN leaders Summit, President Jokowi will raise two issues, first regarding the importance of the centrality principle and the ASEAN unity, and second about formulating the ASEAN Community vision after 2025, Derry Aman, director of the "ASEAN Dialog Partners and Inter-Regional" of the Foreign Affairs Ministry said.

"Indonesia, as an ASEAN natural leader, needs to emphasize the two principles amid the current global challenges" Derry Aman stated.

As ASEAN has entered the ASEAN Community era, that will last from late 2015 until 2025, the grouping needs to reflect on what it has achieved, and must achieve in the future within the framework of the ASEANs three pillars - political, economic and socio-cultural. (*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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