United States Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Indonesia to witness the presidential inauguration of Joko Widodo on Monday and to seek more support from Southeast Asian leaders regarding the U.S.-led effort to dismantle the Islamic State (ISIS).

Kerry will be in Jakarta for a day and he is will meet with Widodo, the prime ministers of Malaysia and Singapore, the sultan of Brunei and the foreign minister of the Philippines in a bilateral meeting.

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Senior officials from the U.S. State Department noted that the bilateral talks will center on the territorial disputes regarding the South China Sea, the additional measures in fighting the ongoing Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa and the still ongoing negotiations regarding the Trans-Pacific Trade Partnership.

However, Kerry's priority will focus on having the Southeast Asian countries engage more on the battle against the ISIS.

According to anonymous sources, the discussion on ISIS will prevent the militants to continue recruiting more members from the Southeast Asia. Reports said the growing number of militants leaving Indonesia and Malaysia to join ISIS has been a concern in the past and continues to be a threat until now.

Besides blocking ISIS recruitment, the discussion would also tackle how to prevent the recruited members from getting back into the region with ISIS financing.

Reports said Kerry will talk to Widodo about freezing the assets of militants with the help of the United Nations Financial Action Task Force.

In line with the inauguration of Widodo, Kerry is also said to maintain the active role of Indonesia regarding regional foreign policy as concerns have been raised that the new Indonesian president would like to focus on the domestic issues of the country.

The role of Indonesia in the international community is important considering it is the fourth largest country and the third largest democracy with the largest Muslim majority. Indonesia has an influential role in the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations that was seen as a key association regarding the rise of China. China has been threatening not only the West but also its neighboring Asian countries.

TagsUnited States Secretary of State, John Kerry, presidential inauguration, Southeast Asian countries, ISIS