Indonesia to Bequeath Peace in the Indian Ocean Region

JAKARTA, IORA - Indonesia as current chairman of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) will bequeath peace to the social order in the Indian Ocean region in accordance with international legal norms and regulations. "The most important thing in this Summit is that Indonesia can pass on the order of the Indian Ocean region which is peaceful and agrees the international norms and law, including UNCLOS," said Foreign Ministry's Director General for Asia, Pacific and Africa Desra Percaya in Jakarta, Friday (3/3). According to him, the IORA summit to be held in Jakarta, Sunday (5/3) to Tuesday (7/3) is an opportunity for Indonesia to show its role to countries in the Indian Ocean. Taking lessons from problems occurred in the Pacific Ocean, Indonesia will underline the message of peaceful regional order from the beginning of the summit . "As Chair, this is Indonesia's opportunity to raise the matter," said Desra. Indian Ocean is a strategic area, for it is a lifeline for half of the world's container ships transporting to various parts of the world. A potential for conflict could occur if international norms, agreements, and laws are ignored. Therefore he continued, the focus of IORA includes not only the economy, but also on foreign policy to maintain sustainable conducive atmosphere. "IORA shall be responsive to today's challenges and responding to future challenges," said Desra. (Tri Antoro/Juliyah/Translator: PR)