TEMPO.CO, Bandung – Thirty five of the total 109 countries invited to the 60^th anniversary commemoration of the Asia-Africa Conference (AAC) have confirmed their attendance to date—Twenty of them are presidents and eight are premiers.

“Seven other countries have also signaled their arrival,” presidential chief of staff Luhut Binsar Panjaitan told reporters in Pakuan buiding on Jl. Otto Iskandar Dinata in Bandung, West Java, on Wednesday, April 1, 2015.

Luhut, the PIC of the event, said after inspecting Husein Sastranegara Airport, Merdeka Building, the Bandung Grand Mosque and Pakuan Building that the preparations for the event had progressed significantly since his last inspection in the West Java’s capital three weeks ago.

Luhut checked on the preparations for the event together with the Foreign Ministry’s director general for Asia-Pacific, Oktavian Thamrin; Communication and Information Minister Rudiantara;Tourism Minister Arif Yahya; State Secretary Pratikno Bandung Mayor Ridwan Kamil and West Java Governor Ahmad Heryawan.

Yuri said the Foreign Ministry was optimistic the AAC commemoration event in Bandung would run like clockwork. Yuri explained there would be more heads of state attending the event than in last decade.

“There will be more countries confirming their presence by April 22-23,” he said.

Bandung Mayor Ridwan Kamil said the heads of state would arrive in Bandung on Friday, April 24, 2015. They will check in at Hotel Savoy Homann and will conduct a historical walk to Merdeka Building to reminisce about the first AAC in 1955. President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has been scheduled to deliver a speech at Merdeka Building.

PERSIANA GALIH