On 20 September 2017, LSPR Jakarta’s students from International Relations major had the opportunity to join the lecture series held by Sesparlu (Senior Diplomatic Training Course) of the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the Prof. Dr. Djayusman Auditorium and Performance Hall, Campus B. The lecture was opened with an opening remarks by Odo Rene Mathew Manuhutu, Director of the Senior Diplomatic Course (Sesparlu), which introduced the Sesparlu programmes to the students. Afterwards, Ade Petranto, Director for ASEAN Economic Cooperation from the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, gave his lecture on the topic of the ASEAN Economic Community: “How the Government Could Engage Businesses in Order to Improve Life of Industries and Industrialization”.
In his lecture, Petranto reiterated the remarks of the Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs that ASEAN will remain as the cornerstone of Indonesia’s foreign policy. Petranto then presented the progress of Indonesia’s implementation, based on the AEC 2015 Scorecard, in achieving the goals of AEC 2015. The lecture also touch upon the benefits of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), eg. in tourism, trade, and the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), that could bring lots of economic opportunities for Indonesia. In addition to that, the lecture discussed the benefits and the challenges of the increasing ASEAN Connectivity, including the arrangements between ASEAN countries in facing such situations.