President Jokowi Encourages IORA to Initiate Solution to Confront Challenges

President Jokowi officially closes the 2017 IORA Summit, Tuesday (7/3) at the JCC, Jakarta. (Photo: PR/Jay)

President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo officially closed the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Leaders’ Summit on Tuesday (7/3) afternoon, which took place since Saturday (5/3) at the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC) Jakarta. In his speech, President Jokowi said the IORA Summit discussed many important aspects and challenges as well as the opportunities in the Indian Ocean region.

To that end, President Jokowi invited various forums under the IORA to continue to initiate practical solutions to the  challenges facing the IORA. “I urge that follow-up actions be taken,” President Jokowi said, stressing that the most important is the follow-up actions.

In addition to practical solutions, the President also reminded the leaders of IORA member states to build a culture, given culture constitutes the root of everything, including the social and political culture. “So the root of everything is culture, including the social and political culture,” the President said.

President Jokowi gave an example that in order to build a community that works hard and seizes the existing opportunities, it is necessary to have an openness-oriented culture, including the willingness to listen, full of understanding, not only full of tolerance but also receives the difference. “We must educate our nation in seeing the differences not as something that comes between us, rather as something that enriches us to work together,” the President added.

President Jokowi also expressed his appreciation and gratitude to various contributions of the leaders at the IORA Summit, the Ministers, Senior Officials, and members of delegation for their hard work in organizing the IORA Summit and produced the Jakarta Concord and the IORA Action Plan. “On behalf of the IORA community, I would like to extend my profound gratitude for your attendance in Jakarta this week,” the President said. President Jokowi also congratulated South Africa as the next chair of IORA. “I will see you in South Africa,” the President concluded. (RMI/FID/RAH/JAY/ES) (MUR/YM/Naster).