RI, India agree to cooperate in terror battle
RI, India agree to cooperate in terror battle
Syaiful Amin, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta
The terrorism threat overshadowed the initial Joint Commission
meeting here on Monday between Indonesia and India, which came to
the conclusion that information exchanges between the two
countries needed enhancing as part of the war on terror.
The two countries ended the meeting with a joint condemnation
of the terrorist attacks that had been plaguing both countries
recently.
"The meeting discussed the real threat of terrorism and
jointly condemned all acts of terrorism such as the recent
bombing in the JW Marriott Hotel in Jakarta and the bombing in
Mumbai," the joint statement said.
Jakarta was rocked by a bomb attack on Aug. 5 that killed 12
people, while India was hit by a blast on Aug. 25 in Mumbai that
claimed 52 lives.
"That's why we emphasized the importance of cooperation in the
field of antiterrorism and agreed to enhance exchanges of
information between the authorities," Indonesian Minister of
Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda said in a joint press conference
with his Indian counterpart Yashwant Sinha.
The Joint Commission serves as a forum for both countries to
address common interests and discuss efforts to boost
cooperation.
India has been intensifying its cooperation with the Southeast
Asian countries following its acceptance as an Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) dialog partner at the regional
grouping's summit in Phnom Penh last year.
Indian Prime Minister Atal Behaari Vajpayee visited Indonesia
in January 2001, while Indonesian President Megawati
Soekarnoputri visited India in April last year.
In the joint statement, India also agreed to Indonesia's
proposal to explore the possibility of providing training and
capacity building on human rights matters.
Both countries also agreed to increase cooperation in the area
of promotion and protection of human rights.
During the meeting, both governments also agreed to begin
discussions on the delineation of the Exclusive Economic Zone
(ZEE) to determine the sea boundary between the two countries.
In the economic field, the two sides agreed to explore the
possibility of forging cooperation between the central banks of
both countries.
Banking cooperation was aimed at supporting the efforts to
increase trade cooperation as well as facilitate two-way
investment between the two countries.
To provide guidance for the economic cooperation between the
two countries, the meeting agreed to set up an Eminent Persons
Group (EPG) so as to sound out the possibilities for further
expansion and diversification of bilateral trade.
"With the meeting, we have succeeded in establishing a strong
basis for bilateral relations, and agreed to hold consultation
meetings annually," Hassan said.
The second meeting of the commission next year will be hosted
by India.
Minister Sinha is scheduled to pay a courtesy visit to
President Megawati on Tuesday in Jakarta before flying home.