REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono becomes the first president in Asia receiving the Global Statesman Award from World Economic Forum on East Asia (WEFEA) in Manila, the Philippines. The founder and CEO of WEF, Klaus Schwab handed the award to president witnessed by all WEFEA participants. 

President of the Philippines, Benigno Aquino III, congratulated Yudhoyono during the bilateral meeting on Friday. President was accompanied by the First Lady, Ani Yudhoyono, as well as several ministries.

"President Yudhoyono is the first Asian leader who receives this award," Aquino said.

In his speech, Yudhoyono said that amid political turmoil, economic uncertainty, also strategic tension, Indonesia has shown its extraordinary achievements, such as involved in the trillion of dollars of economic groups, also became one of G20 members. He said that Indonesia had proven where democracy, Islam, and modernity could coexist in harmony.

"Indonesia has also proven that we can achieve democracy and economic growth simultaneously," Yudhoyono said. 

He reminded that world needed a role model. "The world requires a role model and his spirit to meet the challenges in this era. We need to challenge the old assumptions and break the boundaries to enter the new world," Yudhoyono said.

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