President Jokowi Greets Asian-African Heads Of State

Jakarta, April 22 (Antara) - President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo greeted the heads of state/government from Asian-African countries who will attend the Asian-African Summit at the Jakarta Convention Center here on Wednesday. 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. "Whatever we say, regional stability is important as political stability and security can encourage economic growth of a country, a region, and even the world," the president remarked. He further noted that in the absence of regional stability, no country in the region can show good economic growth. He pointed out that stability and security in the Asian region has led to better economic growth as compared to the other regions. "We in the ASEAN have good political stability and security that has to be maintained for better economic growth in the region," the president remarked. Jokowi explained that besides political stability and security, interstate and regional connectivity also play an important role in economic growth.