REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Several heads of state/government underscored the importance of regional cooperation in all fields to boost common welfare and progress in their address to the first plenary session of the Asian-African Summit here on Wednesday (22/4).
Sultan Hasanal Bolkiah of Brunei Darussalam said he supported all regional and international cooperation efforts including in the economic, social and cultural fields.
Brunei Darussalam is prepared to cooperate with other countries for the goodness of Asia and Africa. For Brunei, South-South cooperation is one of the good cooperation frameworks which is worth developing, he said.
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said the island state sees opportunities for inter-regional cooperation are still widely open and can be further developed.
According to Lee, Singapore will host the third Singapore-Africa economic meeting this year. He said trade cooperation between Asia and Africa is one of the important thing to be developed.
King of Swaziland Swasti II said the Asian African Conference held in Bandung in 1955 is an important milestone for Asian and African countries. With the current development, the Asian-African cooperation must constantly be developed for the benefit of each country's and each region's welfare.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo led the first plenary session of the Asian African Summit, along with Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe at the Jakarta Convention Center.
"I am thankful to the Zimbabwean President for his readiness to lead the first session (together with me). The next are other heads of state/government who will lead sessions to deliver their statement for not more than five minutes each so we can conclude each session on time," Joko Widodo said while opening the first plenary session of the Asian-African Summit.
In the first plenary session, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi reported the results of senior officials meeting and ministerial-level meeting held earlier.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) Suryo Bambang Sulisto conveyed the outcome of Asian-African Business Summit held the day before to Asian and African leaders who attended the event.
President Joko Widodo later invited President Mugabe to deliver his views, followed by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Jordan King Abdullah II.
Afterwards, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Sultan Hasanal Bolkiah of Brunei Darussalam and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani conveyed their views.
The other heads of state/government who were present at the summit were Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Timor Leste President Taur Matan Ruak.
Earlier in the day, President Joko Widodo greeted the heads of state/government from Asian-African countries who will attend the Asian-African Summit at the Jakarta Convention Center.
The heads of state/government began arriving in batches since 8:30 a.m. local time and were welcomed by President Jokowi, who had been waiting for them, and then led them into the conference room.
Those who were received by the Indonesian president were Sultan Hasanal Bolkiah of Brunei Darussalam, President Xi Jinping of China, Prime Minister Rami Al Hamdallah of Palestine, President Robert Mugabe of Zimbawe, King Abdullah-II of Jordan, President Hassan Rouhani of Iran, and Prime Minister Prayut Chan o Cha of Thailand, among others.
During an exclusive interview with Antara at the Merdeka Palace here on Monday, President Jokowi noted that regional stability was a prerequisite to economic growth, and the efforts to maintain stability were absolutely necessary.
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