Kalla made the remark in his opening speech at the Indonesia-Pacific Parliamentary Cooperation Meeting on Sustainable Human Development and Maritime in Jakarta on Monday.
"Many opined that the Pacific Ocean separates us. In fact, the ocean links us to one another, so the problems occurring in a Pacific country are also problems in other nations," the vice president remarked.
He pointed out that climate change that is affecting the world, causing storms and big waves, would also affect countries in the region.
"How do we overcome these problems both in terms of human development, training, and also warning?" he emphasized.
In addition to being an archipelagic nation, there are issues related to the management of marine resources, such as those linked to illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing.
"It is our common problem," Kalla noted, adding that the ocean is the source of progress and revenue of countries in the region.
Kalla also pointed to marine pollution that is a common problem in the Pacific country. Pollution in the oceans due to plastic waste, among others, affected not only the environment but also caused potential revenue losses in the areas of maritime and marine tourism.
In an effort to develop the marine economy, or often called the blue economy, Kalla highlighted three aspects: the revenue earned from maritime activities; conservation of marine ecosystems for a sustainable economy; and social, cultural, and community characteristics that are interlinked.
In order to establish closer trade cooperation between countries in the Pacific Region, the vice president was optimistic of better connectivity between countries by developing inter-state shipping.
According to the vice president, Indonesia has been actively building various infrastructure facilities, such as ports in various regions, especially in the eastern part of Indonesia bordering the Pacific Ocean.
Reporting by M Arief Iskandar
(O001/INE)
(T.SYS/A/KR-BSR/C/F001)
Reporter: antara
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2018
