AIS Forum Summit: Indonesia Committed to Prepare Grant Funds

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo officially inaugurated the Archipelagic and Island States or AIS Forum Summit today in Nusa Dua, Bali. In his opening remarks, the president stated that Indonesia is ready to support archipelagic and island states and developing countries, including through financial aid.

"Indonesia is also committed to preparing grant funds to be used for the interests of archipelagic states and developing countries," Jokowi said, yet he did not provide further details but claimed to prioritize the interests of said countries. This is proven by Indonesia's position on various international forums such as the G20 Summit, ASEAN Summit, and the current AIS Forum Summit, the president explained.

Furthermore, he stated that the AIS Forum Summit serves as an opportunity for the members to collaborate on three main areas, first, the solidarity, equality, and inclusiveness principles.

"Secondly, priority on concrete cooperation for the needs of the recipients," Jokowi said. The third is a strong and dynamic cooperation framework to surmount future challenges.

The first edition of the AIS Forum Summit is participated by Timor-Leste PM Xanana Gusmao, Micronesia President Wesley Simina, Niue PM Dalton Tagelagi, Sao Tome and Principe PM Emery Trovoada, and Tuvalu PM Kausea Natano.

The summit is also attended by the Vice PM of Fiji and Tonga, and the ministers of Maldives, Marshall Islands, Palau, Seychelles, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, and Papua New Guinea, as stated in the press release of the Communication and Informatics Ministry.

Meanwhile, the delegations of Cabo Verde, New Zealand, and Madagascar are led by their deputy ministers. Ireland, Japan, Cyprus, Samoa, Malta, the UK, Saint Lucia, Cook Islands, the Philippines, Suriname, and Bahrain appointed their ambassadors to attend the forum.

Four international organizations also participated in the forum, namely the Melanesian Spearhead Group, the Pacific Island Forum, ASEAN, and the UN Development Programme.

SULTAN ABDURRAHMAN

Editor's Choice: AIS Forum Inks 7 Agreement on First Day of Summit

Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News