Thursday, September 15, 2011

VISITS OF THREE ASEAN MEMBERS' LEADERS STRENGTHEN BILATERAL, REGIONAL TIES by Fardah

     Jakarta, Sept 15, 2011 (ANTARA) - Indonesia, the current ASEAN Chair, was visited by the leaders of three other ASEAN member countries, namely the Thai prime minister, the Vietnamese prime minister and Singapore`s deputy prime minister, earlier this week.
      President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his guests discussed bilateral cooperation that in turn will help strengthen ASEAN regional cooperation.

       Established in 1967, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) currently groups Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines, Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.
       Thai`s first female prime minister, Yingluck Shinawatra, made her first visit to Indonesia on September 12, 2011, since she was elected as the 28th prime minister of Thailand in early August this year.
       In a meeting with Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Monday (Sept 12), President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono expressed hope that Thailand could contribute to the success of the upcoming ASEAN Summit and East Asia Summit to be held in Bali in November this year.
       "I hope Thailand will contribute to and participate in the ASEAN Summit and East Asia Summit to be organized in Bali in November so that the ASEAN community becomes more robust in the development of regional political and economic architecture," President Yudhoyono said.
      The next Bali summit was expected to yield solutions to both regional and international problems with the support of all ASEAN heads of state and governments, Yudhoyono said.
      In response to the President`s hope, Thai Prime Minister Yingluck said she would fully support the role of Indonesia as ASEAN Chair 2011 and contribute to the strengthening of ASEAN.
     The younger sister of former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin also said she would step up the bilateral relations between the two countries as she respected Indonesia`s role in ASEAN community and international community.

The Indonesian and Thai governments also agreed to improve cooperation in research and development sector in order to contribute to the ASEAN food security.


Minister of Agriculture Suswono said ASEAN would establish a


charter on food reserve procurement in emergency situation such as during natural disasters.


"There are 780,000 tons of food for all ASEAN +3 members. The agreement will be signed in October and the reserve food only for an emergency. Indonesia has to provide 12 thousand tons and all members can access in time of need. The reserve is always available and ready," he said.


The two countries also planned to sign a new memorandum of understanding (MOU) on fishery cooperation to prevent poaching practices and increase investment in the fish processing sector


"We will soon draft an MOU with them. We hope that they will come here not only to catch fish but also to invest in fish processing," Marine Affairs and Fishery Minister Fadel Muhammad said on Monday (Sept 12).


Thailand hailed the plan to work on the agreement initiated in 2009. Prime Minister Yingluck hoped the two countries` fishery ministers meet to discuss the matter in the near future.


Another MOU to be signed by the two nations this year would be on the extension of rice-purchasing scheme, according to Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu.


The trade minister said on Friday (Sept 9) that the MoU would be signed in October or November this year.


Two days after receiving the new Thai Prime Minister, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono welcomed Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung at Merdeka Palace here on Wednesday (Sept 14).


PM Nguyen Tan Dung`s visit to Indonesia was part of his courtesy call on the ASEAN member countries after Dung was re-elected to lead Vietnam.


The president was of the opinion that relations between Indonesia and Vietnam in the past few years were getting better following the conclusion of various cooperation agreements in various fields between the two countries.


Indonesia and Vietnam also agreed to cooperate in determining certain maritime corridors where both countries could conduct fishing operations.


The visit to Indonesia by the Vietnamese prime minister was a new pillar to step up the cooperation between the two countries, the president said.


In the meeting with the prime minister, Yudhoyono conveyed his invitation to his Vietnamese counterpart, President Truong Tan Sang, to visit Indonesia in 2012. Truong Tan Sang was inaugurated as Vietnam`s new president on July 25, 2011.


Later on the same day, President Yudhoyono received a courtesy call from Singaporean Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean.


Teo Chee Hean was appointed Deputy Prime Minister on 1 April 2009. He also serves, since 21 May 2011, as Coordinating Minister for National Security, Minister for Home Affairs, and Minister in charge of the Civil Service.


As immediate neighbors, Singapore and Indonesia have so far worked closely in various fields to derive mutual benefit for the two nations and peoples.


When President Yudhoyono visited Singapore for a retreat with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, on May 17-18, 2010, the two leaders agreed on the importance of meeting the ASEAN Economic Community target by 2015. ***2***


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(T.F001/A/F001/A/O001) 15-09-2011 15:22:48

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