'Indonesia
has played an extraordinary role in promoting pluralism,' American president
says
Jakarta Globe, Robertus Wardhy, Nov 10, 2014
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| US President Barack Obama, right, gestures during a bilateral meeting with President Joko Widodo, left, in Beijing on Monday. (Reuters Photo/Kevin Lamarque) |
Beijing.
President Joko Widodo has promised to continue combating terrorism and
extremists as he met US President Barack Obama for the first time on Monday.
Joko and
Obama were attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Beijing
this week, before departing to Myanmar to attend the East Asia Summit on
Wednesday.
This is
Joko’s first international summit as head of state, testing the former
furniture businessman’s diplomatic skills.
Obama
praised his Indonesian counterpart, calling Indonesia a model for nations with
large Muslim populations.
“As one of
the world’s largest democracies and also one with a large Islamic population,
Indonesia has played an extraordinary role in promoting pluralism and respect
for religious diversity,” Obama said, thanking Indonesia for its efforts to
isolate extremists.
Obama said
his country was keen on increasing its partnerships with Indonesia, stressing
his interest in Joko’s flagship programs and reforms.
“I know
that President Joko Widodo has a strong agenda and ambition toward reform and
increasing the welfare of Indonesians. The United States is willing to become a
partner in this reform process,” he said.
The US
president noted Joko’s ambition to transform Indonesia into a world maritime
powerhouse, saying that Indonesia could play a pivotal role in maintaining
peace and stability in the region.
Joko said
he would continue to forge cooperation with the United States to combat
terrorism.
“We will
continue it. Not just from a security perspective, but also through a cultural
and religious approach to isolate and eliminate radicalism and extremism,” he
said.
Indonesia a
key partner
The United
States has been seeking closer ties with Southeast Asian countries as a defense
against what it sees as China’s aggression in pursuit of its claims in the
South China Sea, as well as Beijing’s increasing economic influence.
Indonesia
is seen as a key partner in this goal, as shown by Joko’s predecessor, Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono.
To maintain
relations with the new Indonesian president, Obama sent a delegation led by
Secretary of State John Kerry to attend Joko’s inauguration.
However,
Washington is competing with Beijing to draw Indonesia to its side as Chinese
President Xi Jinping met first with Joko on Sunday, telling the new Indonesian
president that links between the two nations ran deep in history, while quoting
an Indonesian proverb to demonstrate emotional ties.
“Joko has a
big challenge to maximize gains from Indonesia’s relations with big powers
while maintaining neutrality,” said Bantarto Bandoro, an international
relations expert at the Indonesian Defense University.
“But I
think Indonesia has all the cards to do it as long as we play it correctly,” he
added.
Shinzo Abe,
Vladimir Putin
Later on
Monday, Joko also met with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who also
expressed an interest in Joko’s maritime ambitions.
Indonesia
and Japan “are both maritime countries, both countries must contribute to peace
and justice,” Abe said.
“The
Japanese government wishes to make some contribution in [Indonesia’s maritime]
industry and the development of human resources,” he added.
Another
world leader who held talks with Joko was Russian President Vladimir Putin, who
sought to forge stronger economic partnerships with the new Indonesian
government.
Partnerships
between the two countries have mainly centered on the defense industry.
“Indonesia
and Russia have good partnerships and histories,” Putin said.
“There is
slow growth in terms of our economic partnerships. I hope in this forum we can
discuss how to address this shortcoming.”
Joko
welcomed more investment and partnerships from Russia, saying it had a lot to
offer in developing Indonesia’s energy, transportation, agriculture and
manufacturing potential.
In his
maiden speech at an international forum on Sunday, Joko pitched his country as
a prime investment destination to regional business leaders, pledging to slash
fuel subsidies that have crimped the government’s ability to spend on social
and infrastructure development.
Describing
the $27 billion that Jakarta spends annually to hold down fuel prices as
“huge,” Joko told the APEC CEO Summit that the savings would be used to build
much-needed ports, railways and other infrastructure for the sprawling nation
and help improve the livelihoods of rural residents.
Additional reporting from Reuters
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| Indonesian President Joko Widodo, second from right, and Chinese President Xi Jinping, second from left, attend a meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Nov. 9, 2014. (Reuters Photo/Jason Lee) |
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