RI Calls for Maritime Ties at AAC

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Indonesia is calling on Asian-African nations to establish maritime ties—as Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi said the 60^th commemoration of the Asia-Africa Conference (AAC) targeted, among others, the New Asia-Africa Strategic Partnership (NAASP), which would be realized through maritime ties initiated by Indonesia.

“Indonesia will stimulate cooperation in the maritime sector to narrow the gap among Asian-African countries,” Retno said when delivering her opening speech at the AAC senior officials’ meeting at the Jakarta Convention Center in Jakarta, Monday, April 20, 2015.

The NAASP is among the three results of the AAC sought to produce, besides the Bandung Message and the support for Palestine’s independence.

Retno said the discussions at the AAC would renew the tangible cooperation of the NAASP. “The documents that were agreed earlier comprised priority cooperation,” she said. This time, she added, Asian-African countries must go through the limits and include operational mechanisms. “To ensure implementation in the field,” she said.

Retno explained the new NAASP documents would allow Asian-African countries to engage in more intensive, structured, and systematic cooperation. “This will open up a new window among Asian-African countries,” she said.

ANANDA TERESIA