The Archipelagic and Island States Summit (AIS Summit) Forum 2023 is ready to be held in Nusa Dua, Bali, on 10-11 October. As host, Indonesia invited dozens of participating countries to this AIS Summit Forum.
The Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment (Menko Marves) Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan said the journey to establish the AIS Forum was a form of recognition of island and archipelagic countries.
“Well, AIS was almost 5 years ago, yes, 6 years in fact, we think we are the largest archipelagic country in the world and we have a lot of wealth, but people’s recognition of our position is not yet visible, and coincidentally our economy is getting better too, I keep thinking about it. “At that time, why don’t we create a forum for island countries to become one,” he said.
Luhut also said that there would be many discussions at the AIS Summit which would produce concrete decisions and achieve cooperation in overcoming various global issues and problems.
“There’s a lot that can be discussed, sharing small but concrete things that Indonesia has done, from those of us who are successful, those who are not, to island countries, because it is related to climate change as well,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Director General of Multilateral Cooperation at the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tri Tharyat, said that previously five conferences had been held at the ministerial level and eight meetings at the high-ranking official level. The holding of the AIS Forum High Level Conference (KTT) as part of Indonesia’s maritime diplomacy reflects a commitment to the values of the Bandung Spirit.
Solidarity, equality and mutually beneficial cooperation are strong foundations for building harmonious relations among countries in the region.
“The holding of the AIS Forum Summit is an important part of Indonesia’s maritime diplomacy, based on the Bandung Spirit which prioritizes solidarity, equality and mutually beneficial cooperation,” he said.
Tri added that his hope is that this summit will not only end with a declaration, but will also be able to produce concrete steps. Cooperation between Indonesia and archipelagic countries will certainly play a key role in realizing common goals.
“We hope that this summit will produce a Leaders’ Declaration which has been discussed at high level. “We are pushing for concrete results through concrete cooperation between Indonesia and archipelagic countries in various regions,” he said.
The AIS Forum is a cooperation platform formed to accommodate island and archipelagic countries throughout the world to jointly overcome challenges and problems, especially in the maritime sector.