Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe is proud to see the spirit and unity of Asian and African nations at the commemoration of the 60th Asian-African Conference (AAC) or Bandung Conference.
“Bandung Conference was the first-ever conference solely held by Asian and African nations. Prime Minister Abe has been proud of it. How much logistics must have been involved to draw the worlds leaders at that time,” Special Advisor to the Cabinet of Shinzo Abe Tomohiko Taniguchi said here during a lunch briefing on Wednesday.
PM Abe, who arrived in Indonesia on Tuesday evening, delivered a speech at the AAC Summit in the Jakarta Convention Center Wednesday.
According to Taniguchi, Indonesia has left a deep impression on PM Abe.
When Japan was hit by a tsunami in 2011, Indonesian students studying there had volunteered to cheer up Japanese tsunami victims.
“Two month after the tsunami struck, the students reached out to Japanese victims and sang OCherry Blossom to cheer them up,” Taniguchi recalled.
“Abe was very impressed by what the students did to cheer up our people,” he added.
On the sidelines of the ongoing AAC 2015, PM Abe has met with Indonesian President Joko Widodo to discuss the bilateral cooperation between the two countries.
Indonesia and Japan have agreed to boost South-South cooperation to improve the economy and welfare of Asian and African countries.
Following a meeting between President Joko Widodo and Japans Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Indonesias Cabinet Secretary Andi Widjajanto stated in a text message to newsmen here on Wednesday that the two leaders agreed to step up their countries contribution towards developing the South-South cooperation.
“Discussion during the bilateral talk with Japan was about developing the South-South cooperation to improve the stability and welfare of Asian and African countries and their people.” he said.
He noted that Japan shared Indonesias view on a need for reforms in the international political architecture, especially at the UN.
Prime Minister Abe and President Joko Widodo discussed a number of issues related to the cooperation between the two countries, such as investments in export-oriented industries, energy and maritime cooperation, and the implementation of the visa-free facility by Japan.
“They discussed cooperation in the field of defense and handling of tsunami and also initiated a World Tsunami Day,” he added.
In the meeting, President Joko Widodo was accompanied by Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Sofyan Djalil, Trade Minister Rachmat Gobel, and Andi Widjajanto.
Meanwhile, it has been decided that Abe will not join the Historical Walk in Bandung.
“He will not go to Bandung. He will leave Indonesia tomorrow, and two days later, he will leave for the US to meet with President Barack Obama,” Deputy Cabinet Secretary for Public Affairs and Director of Global Communication of Prime Ministers Office Kenko Sone stated.
ANTARA
