REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Political solidarity alone cannot tackle the current regional and international issues faced by Asian and African countries, according to Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi.
"Is the political message adequate to face the current challenges? I am sure you will say no. This is just the start, and then we have to move forward," stated Minister Marsudi in her opening remarks during the Asian-African Ministerial Meeting (AAMM) at the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC) here on Monday 920/4).
Minister Marsudi explained that in order to achieve greater political solidarity for a stronger and richer Asia and Africa, the Bandung Messages should be translated into concrete action, and to this end, the document of Reinvigorating New Asian African Strategic Partnership (NAASP) would serve as a mechanism to implement them.
The Reinvigorating NAASP document also outlines four steps to follow up the implementation of the Bandung Messages, including holding a commemoration every ten years, rotation every four years, meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly every two years, and annual co-chairs meeting.
"I am confident that the comprehensive NAASP framework will initiate a new chapter in Asian-African cooperation, as it will allow the countries to cooperate through a structured, systematic, and intensive framework," she emphasized.
The comprehensive NAASP framework will also bridge the gap between Asian and African continents, both in terms of solidarity and physically.
During her remarks, Minister Marsudi also mentioned the Indonesian chairmanship in the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) that will also promote maritime connectivity among Asian and African countries.
"The maritime connectivity will narrow the distance between Asia and Africa," she pointed out.
Indonesia initiates the Bandung Messages, Reinvigorating NAASP, and the Declaration on Palestine as the three outcome documents of the 60th AAC, and each draft of the substances had been discussed in New York and finalized during the Senior Official Meeting (SOM) of the AAC on Sunday.
Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi and her South African counterpart Maite Nkoana-Mashabane will co-chair the AAMM on April 20-21.
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