Minister Calls on Three Countries to Address Terrorism in Marawi

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - During a foreign ministerial trilateral meeting between Indonesia, Philippines, and Malaysia, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said that terror attacks in Marawi, are issues that need to be jointly addressed by the three countries.

“The trilateral meeting is initiated as a form of our solidarity for the issues faced by the Philippines,” Retno said in a press release on Friday, June 23, 2017.

Read: Trilateral Meeting on Marawi: 3 Countries Exchange Terrorism Data

Retno added that foreign ministers of the three countries expressed their concerns with terrorism and extremism in the Philippines. She pointed out that the incident should be a momentum for the three countries to strengthen their commitment to eradicating terrorism and cross-border crimes, “as well as agreeing to initiate a joint action plan to address the issue.”

Also attending the meeting were Indonesian Military commander Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo, National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian, and National Counterterrorism Agency head Comr. Gen. Suhardi Alius.

Read: Philippines Wants to End Marawi Battle before Eid

After the meeting, Gatot explained that the Indonesia-Philippines-Malaysia joint sea patrol signed on Monday would become a strong basis for the three countries to eradicate terrorism in border areas.

In the meeting, it was decided that Indonesia will host the next meeting in October 2017. The second meeting is expected to result in a Joint Action Plan signing.

“However, the three countries have agreed to roll out cooperations in the near future,” Retno said.

AHMAD FAIZ