RI hosts first Southwest Pacific forum meeting<\/p>\n
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Nusa Dua, Bali<\/p>\n
Indonesia takes one step further toward realizing the idea of
\nestablishing a Southwest Pacific forum by hosting the first
\nmeeting of senior officials from six countries in the region.<\/p>\n
The meeting here on Saturday, which was attended by senior
\nofficials from Indonesia and the five neighboring countries of
\nAustralia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea and
\nEast Timor, discussed ideas and possible guidelines to establish
\nthe dialog forum.<\/p>\n
In his opening speech, Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan
\nWirayuda said the main objective of the forum was to discuss
\nsecurity, economic and cultural cooperation among countries in
\nthe Southwest Pacific.<\/p>\n
\"The geographic reality tells us that we live with our
\nneighbors and there is a need to closely interact with each other
\nregarding certain issues of mutual concern,\" the minister said.<\/p>\n
The idea of a Southwest Pacific forum was floated two years
\nago by former President Abdurrahman Wahid, and since then
\nIndonesia had been promoting the idea to the neighboring
\ncountries to the south.<\/p>\n
At Saturday's meeting, senior officials agreed to the
\nconvening of an annual ministerial meeting among participating
\ncountries, with the host to be selected alphabetically.<\/p>\n
They also agreed that the first ministerial meeting would be
\nheld in Indonesia, possibly in Timika, Papua province, in the
\nlast week of July.<\/p>\n
The ministerial meeting would discuss common issues related to
\ntrans-national crime, terrorism, trade and environment.<\/p>\n
\"It is the time for Indonesia to look to the south and I am
\nsure that this forum will bring benefits to each member country
\nin the future,\" Hassan said.<\/p>\n
He said that the forum was not meant to be another formal
\nregional grouping, contending that all participatory countries in
\nthe forum already belonged to different regional groups.<\/p>\n
The Southwest Pacific forum, Hassan said, would merely serve
\nas a loose forum to discuss the day-to-day relations among
\ncountries in the region.<\/p>\n
He also underlined that the forum would not change Indonesia's
\nforeign policy in the region that centers on the Association of
\nSouth East Asia Nations (ASEAN).<\/p>\n
\"ASEAN will remain the cornerstone of our foreign policy, but
\nit also will not stop us building close relationships with our
\nneighboring countries in the south,\" he said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ri-hosts-first-southwest-pacific-forum-meeting-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}