"The first one is related to the Bandung Spirit, which has remained a reference for South-South cooperation," the minister remarked during a meeting with Commission I of the House of Representatives in Jakarta on Thursday.
Marsudi noted that countries in the Global South still find the Bandung Spirit, born in 1955 during the Asian-African Conference, relevant to the cooperation fostered among them.
"The Bandung Spirit is not merely still relevant, but it has become even more relevant. The spirit has transformed into a light that guides Global South countries in their cooperation," she remarked.
The minister then proceeded to the next point, saying that the 2nd IAF had facilitated African nations to establish mutually beneficial cooperation free from geopolitical ambitions.
She highlighted that most participating African countries were eyeing cooperation in the sectors of trade, investment, development, infrastructure, downstream industries, agriculture, energy, and health.
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Marsudi then noted that African countries were hoping for collaborative projects that could help augment their abilities to develop their agriculture sector and downstream industries.
The minister further remarked that the international forum also resulted in the signing of several memoranda of understanding on the management of geothermal and solar power, pharmacy, and transfer of vaccine technology.
"We have also received letters of intent from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Senegal on the purchase and maintenance of (Indonesian) aircraft," she added.
According to Marsudi, the total value of cooperation agreements reached during the 2nd IAF hit US$3.5 billion, a notable spike from the US$586 million recorded during the forum's first edition held in 2018.
The 2nd IAF was held in conjunction with the High-Level Forum on Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships as a platform expected to facilitate Indonesia and African nations to forge deeper cooperation.
The Indonesia-Africa Parliamentary Forum took place prior to the 2nd IAF from August 31 to September 2.
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Translator: Melalus S, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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