Indonesia Adopts Theme ‘Partnership for Peace and Prosperity’ in ASEAN-US Summit

President Jokowi accompanied by First Lady and Vice President
Jusuf Kalla before heading to the United States (14/2)

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and First Lady Iriana Joko Widodo on Sunday (14/2), headed from Halim Perdanakusuma International Airport to California, the United States on the Presidential Plane for a working visit.

The main agenda of the working visit to the US is to attend the ASEAN-US Summit.

This year’s ASEAN-US Summit is held for two days, 15-16 February 2016, in Sunnylands, California, US.

Therefore, the President and his entourage will head to San Fransisco, California, US to deliver a keynote speech in the US-ASEAN Business Council (US-ABC), on 17 February 2016.

In the meantime, in the press statement before leaving Jakarta, President Jokowi said that Indonesia will adopt a theme ‘Partnership for Peace and Prosperity’.

The President asserted that both ASEAN and the US have responsibilities to bring peace and stability to the region and the world.

“ASEAN-US partnership must bring balanced benefits for the prosperity of the people in ASEAN and the US,” the President said.

In order to bring prosperity, the President said that Indonesia will strive to improve economic partnership on small and medium enterprises sector, entrepreneurship promotion, and innovation, including the development of digital economy, while in the efforts to bring peace, the President admitted that he will share opinion with the leaders of ASEAN countries and the US regarding peace efforts in the region.

President Jokowi is also scheduled to lead a discussion session on terrorism.

”I will use the opportunity to share our experience as the largest muslim population country in the world on bridging tolerance, preventing radicalism, and eradicating terrorism,” the President said.

The President went on to say that Indonesia will also promote the importance of people’s participation, including in social media, in order to fight against terrorism.

Beside attending the US-ABC, President Jokowi will also visit Silicon Valley.

“I will use this opportunity to meet the CEOs of IT big companies,” the President said.

President Jokowi will also use this opportunity to meet a number of Indonesian diaspora in the US.

Vice President Jusuf Kalla, Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, Minister of State Secretary Pratikno, Minister of State Apparatus Empowerment and Bureaucratic Reform Yuddy Chrisnandi, and Governor of Jakarta Basuki Tjahaya Purnama were attended when setting off the President and his entourage to the US. Meanwhile, Minister of Trade Thomas Lembong and Presidential Chief of Staff Teten Masduki are in the Presidential entourage.

The President and his entourage is scheduled to return to Indonesia on Friday (19/2) morning. (TKP/UN/SLN/ES)(RAS/EP/YM/Naster)