REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, NADI -- President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has stated that Indonesia will strengthen relations and boost mutually beneficial cooperation with Pacific Island nations.
"As fellow island nations, our priority is to work closely in the fishery and maritime sectors. We will do it by making a link in our waters," President Yudhoyono said in his key speech before participants of the Second Pacific Islands Development Forum (PIDF) Leaders' Summit here on Thursday.
Indonesia also has a strong commitment to establishing cooperation in climate change impact mitigation with Pacific Island nations, he added.
"In the next five years, through our joint efforts, Indonesia will offer cooperation in capacity building programs in various sectors. We will allocate funds worth US$20 million," the head of state said.
The PIDF Summit is being held here from June 18 to 20, 2014, to discuss critical issues in sustainable development for the people of the Pacific.
The Summit's theme is "Green Growth in the Pacific: Building Resilient Sustainable Futures and Genuine Partnerships."
Pacific Island countries include Samoa, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Caledonia, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Pitcairn Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor Leste, Tonga, Tokelau, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.
Yudhoyono is on a three-day working visit to Fiji to give a key speech in the PIDF Summit and hold bilateral meeting with the Fijian Prime Minister.
After delivering his key speech in the PIDF Summit, he will hold bilateral meetings respectively with the leaders of Nauru and Kiribati.
Members of the president's entourage include Foreign Affairs Minister Marty Natalegawa, Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Djoko Suyanto, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Syarif Tjitjip Sutarjo, Public Works Minister Djoko Kirmanto, Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Roy Suryo, Minister/State Secretary Sudi Silalahi, and Cabinet Secretary Dipo Alam.
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