... my task is to improve cooperation and friendship with South Pacific countries and to explain them about our policy with regard to Papua... "Jakarta (ANTARA News) - President Susilo Yudhoyono's three-day working visit to Fiji from June 17 to 19, 2014, aims to strengthen bilateral relations with countries in the South Pacific region.
"The South Pacific region is important, and therefore, since the past ten years we have strengthened our relations with key countries," Yudhoyono remarked during a press conference before leaving the Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base, Jakarta, for Fiji on Tuesday morning.
Yudhoyono noted that over the years, Indonesia has worked towards building good relations with Timor Leste, Papua New Guinea, Australia, and New Zealand, among others.
The head of state explained that good relations with countries in the Pacific region were based on an agreement that they respected the sovereignty of the Republic of Indonesia.
According to him, the Papua issue was frequently debated at the international level, but it can be resolved by fostering sound bilateral relations with the countries in South Pacific.
Yudhoyono stated that several events, such as the Pacific Island Forum and Melanesian Spearhead Group were frequently used by certain groups to raise the Papua issue.
"But, my task is to improve cooperation and friendship with South Pacific countries and to explain them about our policy with regard to Papua," the he noted.
According to Yudhoyono, cooperation and friendship with the South Pacific countries can reduce disinformation and misinformation about the Indonesian policy toward Papua in the context of international relations.
He further added that he had ever allowed the representative of the Melanesian Spearhead Group to come to Papua to gain first-hand information about the economic development policy and security aspects.
Editor: Ade P Marboen
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