Our common experience of being dominated, enslaved (and), exploited has compelled us to fight for and create a peaceful environment.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto highlighted “the Asian way” of addressing global geopolitical challenges for achieving global peace at Asia's premier defense summit in Singapore.

Speaking at the panel discussion of the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue 2022 in Singapore, he said that during its 40–50 years of experience, Indonesia has found its own way that he termed "the Asian way" for overcoming challenges.

"Our common experience of being dominated, enslaved (and), exploited has compelled us to fight for and create a peaceful environment," he said, according to a written statement released in Jakarta on Saturday.

He further said he believes that the world's superpowers, China and the United States, will adopt a wise policy for the sake of global peace.

It is important for a country to have a wise leader to steer it through geopolitical challenges, he said.

World War II gave birth to independence movements that fought against imperialism for hundreds of years, he noted. "The experiences of our brothers in Indochina, the Philippines, India, and several Asia-Pacific countries made all sides aware of the need to have a wise leader," he said.

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"We believe the leaders of the superpowers will realize that they shoulder large responsibilities," he added.

He reminded defense ministers all over the world that Indonesia is exposed to the considerable impact of negative sentiment due to rivalry among neighboring states.

After all, Indonesia has its own way of addressing internal upheavals due to external factors: creating a peaceful environment and promoting tolerance among the adherents of different faiths, races, and ethnic groups, he said.

The IISS Shangri-La Dialogue Forum 2022 is an important forum for the world's senior officials for sharing new perspectives on the growing security challenges in Asia.


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Translator: Muhammad Zulfikar, Suharto
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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