Bali – Indonesia is hosting the Archipelagic and Island States or AIS Summit which will be held in Bali on October 11 2023. Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, said that this event was very special.
This is because the AIS Summit in previous years was only attended by ministerial level. However, the 2023 AIS Summit will be the first event of this forum which will be attended by the Head of State or President level.
The Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries hopes that the cooperation or agreement formed by member countries at the 2023 AIS Summit can become something concrete or real for the maritime aspects of island countries.
“We don’t want to talk about trillions of dollars as is often discussed in international forums. We don’t need to be that big, just small. “US$10 million, US$20 million, or US$50 million, but concrete to the problem,” he said
Furthermore, the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries explained that the hope for the realization of various concrete collaborations was an instruction from President Jokowi. Because, President Jokowi also hopes that the 2023 AIS Summit will produce various realistic things.
“President Jokowi is also a pragmatic person. He told me that he just wanted something concrete. So, that’s what we transmit,” he said.
Holding the 2023 AIS Forum Summit in Bali on 11 October 2023 is part of Indonesia’s contribution in its role as an initiator to address global issues related to maritime affairs.
Previously, Assistant Deputy for Delimitation of Maritime Zones and Border Areas at the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment (Kemenko Marinves) Sora Lokita said that this was Indonesia’s real contribution to its concern regarding maritime issues.
“This is a real form, the idea is from Indonesia and the initiative is from Indonesia, we are leading it and we are trying to make this a positive contribution from Indonesia to the global level, especially in the context of maritime issues,” said Sora Lokita.
This year, the 2023 AIS Forum carries the theme “Fostering Collaboration, Enabling Innovation for Our Ocean and Our Future”. The meeting agenda will focus on three important aspects, namely blue economy development, the challenge of climate change, and strengthening solidarity between island and island countries.
The 2023 AIS Forum Summit will be attended by dozens of island and archipelagic countries as well as a number of international organizations to collaborate and provide concrete solutions to the challenges experienced by island and archipelagic countries.