REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Leaders of 21 member states of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) signed the Jakarta Concord as an outcome of the IORA Leaders' Summit held in Jakarta on Tuesday.

The document titled "Promoting Regional Cooperation for a Peaceful, Stable, and Prosperous Indian Ocean" aims to lay the foundation and set the course for cooperation for the organization of Indian Ocean states in the coming years.

In the Jakarta Concord, the IORA states declared their commitment to promoting maritime safety in the region; enhancing trade and investment cooperation in the region; promoting the management and development of sustainable fisheries; enhancing disaster risk management in the region; strengthening academic, science, and technology cooperation; fostering tourism and cultural exchanges; Blue Economy; and empowering women in the economy.

During the IORA Leaders' Summit, President Joko Widodo affirmed that the Indian Ocean is the region of the future. "We believe that the Indian Ocean is currently developing into a key axis in the world," President Widodo stated in his opening remarks during the First Summit of the IORA at the Jakarta Convention Center, here, Tuesday.

The IORA leaders who attended the summit are President of South Africa Jacob Zuma, President of Mozambique Filipe Nyusi, President of Sri Lanka Maithripala Sirisena, Prime Minister of Australia, Prime Minister of Malaysia Najib Tun Abdul Razak, and Yemen President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, among others.

The presence of the IORA leaders and representatives at the Leaders' Summit demonstrates the strong commitment to forging international cooperation to seek various solutions and to utilize opportunities. The IORA states have also agreed on an Action Plan for 2017-2021 that outlines various activities related to the listed priorities for the coming years and comprises various short-, medium-, and long-term initiatives.

The action plan is a significant milestone in IORA's journey and becomes the first of its kind since the establishment of the association two decades ago. In addition, the members of IORA have agreed on a Declaration on Preventing and Countering Terrorism and Violent extremism.

The declaration strengthens the commitment for cooperation in combating the threat of terrorism and violent extremism through cooperation and coordination, dialogue, exchange of information on best practices, as well as combating terrorist ideology and extremism.

Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi stated that the declaration is a reflection of IORA's determination to maintain peace and stability and to promote a positive environment in the Indian Ocean. The IORA countries will also promote positive values, such as tolerance and diversity, as the norms for interaction in the region.

"I strongly believe that these documents, in particular the Jakarta Concord, will reinvigorate IORA's commitment to ensure peace and stability and to realize the Indian Ocean as the ocean of the future," Minister Marsudi emphasized.

Currently, the IORA is a dynamic organization of 21 member states: Australia, Bangladesh, Comoros, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Seychelles, Singapore, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, and Yemen.

In addition, IORA has seven dialogue partners: the US, the UK, Japan, Germany, Egypt, France, and the People's Republic of China. IORA is celebrating its 20th anniversary in March 2017. Indonesia, as the current chair of the IORA, is hosting the first ever IORA Leaders' Summit under the theme "Strengthening Maritime Cooperation for a Peaceful, Stable and Prosperous Indian Ocean" on Mar 7.

The leaders' summit was preceded by a Committee of Senior Officials' meeting on March 5 and a Council of Ministers' meeting on Mar 6.

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