I believe that an effective and concrete `ASEAN Plus Three` cooperation ..."
Kuala Lumpur (ANTARA News) - Indonesia has proposed regional peace and security, tourism and education as the three priority areas for the ASEAN+3 cooperation.

"I believe that an effective and concrete ASEAN Plus Three cooperation will bring peace and prosperity to the East Asian region," President Joko Widodo said at the 18th ASEAN Plus Three Summit at KLCC here on Saturday.

President Jokowi, as he is also called, hailed the Trilateral Summit, held earlier in November 2015 as a political consultation forum among China, Japan and Korea to gather support for peace and security in the region.

"Interaction like this needs to be strengthened to overcome various security challenges in the region," he said.

With regard to tourism cooperation, President Jokowi hailed the planned signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) for ASEAN Plus Three for tourism cooperation in 2016.

"This will help enhance tourism cooperation to achieve the target of US$3.5 trillion worth of tourism business by 2024," he said.

President Jokowi hoped that cooperation in the field of education would reduce the gap in the quality of education through development of a regional university network.

"We must emphasize the importance of people-to-people contacts by embracing think-tank institutions, academics and civil societies," he said.

President Jokowi expressed an appreciation for the support extended by ASEAN Plus Three to the Indonesian initiative on EAS Statement on Enhancing Regional Maritime Cooperation that will be ratified at the 10th East Asia Summit.

He also expressed appreciation for the full support by the ASEAN Three Plus members to efforts being made for the development and realization of the ASEAN Community in 2015.

The meeting was attended by Malaysian Prime Minister and ASEAN Chairman Najib Razak, heads of states and governments of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Plus Three, Chinas Prime Minister Li Keqiang, Japans Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and President of the Republic of Korea, Park Geun Hye.

(Reporting by Agus Salim/Uu.H-YH/INE/KR-BSR/A014)

Editor: Priyambodo RH
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