"We congratulate South Africa on being appointed the next chair of IORA. See you later in Africa and I hereby officially close the IORA Summit 2017," the President said.
The President also expressed his gratitude to participants for their presence at the IORA Summit.
"I would like to express my appreciation to the ministers, high officials, and delegates who have worked hard to produce Jakarta Concord that we have just ratified," he said.
He added that a series of meetings held ahead of the IORA Summit had discussed many important aspects related to the challenges and opportunities in the Indian Ocean.
"Let me express my deep gratitude to the participants for their contributions," he said.
There are many formal and informal meetings outside the IORA Summit which are of equal importance, such as the IORA members Chamber of Commerce meetings and business meetings, the President noted.
"Once again I urge all IORA countries to initiate practical solutions to solve various challenges," he said, adding that in addition to practical solutions, the leaders need to nurture a political culture in establishing cooperation.
"In order to manage the challenges, we should establish cooperation which not only needs understanding, but also tolerance. We must cultivate those attitudes in order to see differences as something that enrich our cooperation," he said.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2017
