Indonesia, Myanmar encourage cooperation through Asia-Africa Conference

Jakarta, March 16 (Antara) - Indonesia and Myanmar are committed to encourage South-South cooperation and rekindle the spirit of Bandung through the 60th anniversary of the Asia-Africa Conference (KAA), noted a Foreign Affairs Ministry's press release received here on Monday. Indonesian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs A.M. Fachir stressed that Myanmar is in a special position to rekindle the spirit of Bandung and intensify South-South cooperation. This message was delivered during a meeting with Minister U Hla Tun of the President Office in Nay Pyi Taw, on Thursday (March 13). Fachir is visiting Myanmar as a special envoy of the Indonesian president. In addition to delivering an invitation letter to the President of Myanmar U Thein Sein to attend a series of events at the Asia-Africa summit in April, the visit of the Indonesian delegation also aims to strengthen the bilateral relations that have led to good cooperation between Indonesia and Myanmar. According to Fachir, 60 years after the implementation of the Asia-Africa summit in Bandung, the countries in the region have undergone transformation and development. However, Fachir emphasized that several challenges have yet to be faced together in the future. Therefore, the spirit of Bandung is still relevant and needs to be applied in order to strengthen the sense of solidarity and friendship among nations to achieve peace and prosperity. In the meeting, Fachir pointed out that the Asia-Africa Business Summit (AABS) will be held in Jakarta, on April 20. AABS is one of the events to be held on the sidelines of the KAA. In this regard, Fachir has invited Myanmar to participate in AABS. He is of the viewpoint that Myanmar's stakeholders will have a positive contribution to the development of South-South cooperation. Responding to Indonesia's invitation, Minister Tun recognizes the importance of the AABS. Minister Tun stated that the AABS will contribute significantly to the economic development in Asia and Africa in the future. Earlier, Indonesia had invited the Indian government to attend the anniversaries of the Afro-Asian Conference (AAC) and the New Asian-African Strategic Partnership (NAASP) to be held in Jakarta and Bandung next month. The Indonesian invitation was delivered by Indonesian Deputy Foreign Minister Fachir to the Indian government when he met Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj on Wednesday (March 11), according to the Ministry of Affairs' press statement received by Antara here over the weekend. The invitation was sent by President Joko Widodo through Fachir to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the 60th anniversary of the AAC and the 10th anniversary of the NAASP, which will be held in Jakarta and Bandung (West Java), on April 22-24, 2015. India is one of the supporters of the AAC in 1955. Therefore, the presence of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi can boost South-South cooperation. Furthermore, India has successfully achieved economic development in recent years. The Indonesian deputy foreign minister also delivered the Indonesian request for Indian Prime Minister Modi to become one of the keynote speakers at the AABS. He is also requested to deliver a speech representing the Asian countries at the AAC anniversary celebration event.