Jokowi Tells Obama He’ll Keep Fighting Terrorism

'Indonesia has played an extraordinary role in promoting pluralism,' American president says

Jakarta Globe, Robertus Wardhy, Nov 10, 2014

US President Barack Obama, right, gestures during a bilateral meeting with
 President Joko Widodo, left, in Beijing on Monday. (Reuters Photo/Kevin Lamarque)

Beijing. President Joko Widodo has promised to continue combating terrorism and extremists as he met US President Barack Obama for the first time on Monday.

Joko and Obama were attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Beijing this week, before departing to Myanmar to attend the East Asia Summit on Wednesday.

This is Joko’s first international summit as head of state, testing the former furniture businessman’s diplomatic skills.

Obama praised his Indonesian counterpart, calling Indonesia a model for nations with large Muslim populations.

“As one of the world’s largest democracies and also one with a large Islamic population, Indonesia has played an extraordinary role in promoting pluralism and respect for religious diversity,” Obama said, thanking Indonesia for its efforts to isolate extremists.

Obama said his country was keen on increasing its partnerships with Indonesia, stressing his interest in Joko’s flagship programs and reforms.

“I know that President Joko Widodo has a strong agenda and ambition toward reform and increasing the welfare of Indonesians. The United States is willing to become a partner in this reform process,” he said.

The US president noted Joko’s ambition to transform Indonesia into a world maritime powerhouse, saying that Indonesia could play a pivotal role in maintaining peace and stability in the region.

Joko said he would continue to forge cooperation with the United States to combat terrorism.

“We will continue it. Not just from a security perspective, but also through a cultural and religious approach to isolate and eliminate radicalism and extremism,” he said.

Indonesia a key partner

The United States has been seeking closer ties with Southeast Asian countries as a defense against what it sees as China’s aggression in pursuit of its claims in the South China Sea, as well as Beijing’s increasing economic influence.

Indonesia is seen as a key partner in this goal, as shown by Joko’s predecessor, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

To maintain relations with the new Indonesian president, Obama sent a delegation led by Secretary of State John Kerry to attend Joko’s inauguration.

However, Washington is competing with Beijing to draw Indonesia to its side as Chinese President Xi Jinping met first with Joko on Sunday, telling the new Indonesian president that links between the two nations ran deep in history, while quoting an Indonesian proverb to demonstrate emotional ties.

“Joko has a big challenge to maximize gains from Indonesia’s relations with big powers while maintaining neutrality,” said Bantarto Bandoro, an international relations expert at the Indonesian Defense University.

“But I think Indonesia has all the cards to do it as long as we play it correctly,” he added.

Shinzo Abe, Vladimir Putin

Later on Monday, Joko also met with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who also expressed an interest in Joko’s maritime ambitions.

Indonesia and Japan “are both maritime countries, both countries must contribute to peace and justice,” Abe said.

“The Japanese government wishes to make some contribution in [Indonesia’s maritime] industry and the development of human resources,” he added.

Another world leader who held talks with Joko was Russian President Vladimir Putin, who sought to forge stronger economic partnerships with the new Indonesian government.

Partnerships between the two countries have mainly centered on the defense industry.

“Indonesia and Russia have good partnerships and histories,” Putin said.

“There is slow growth in terms of our economic partnerships. I hope in this forum we can discuss how to address this shortcoming.”

Joko welcomed more investment and partnerships from Russia, saying it had a lot to offer in developing Indonesia’s energy, transportation, agriculture and manufacturing potential.

In his maiden speech at an international forum on Sunday, Joko pitched his country as a prime investment destination to regional business leaders, pledging to slash fuel subsidies that have crimped the government’s ability to spend on social and infrastructure development.

Describing the $27 billion that Jakarta spends annually to hold down fuel prices as “huge,” Joko told the APEC CEO Summit that the savings would be used to build much-needed ports, railways and other infrastructure for the sprawling nation and help improve the livelihoods of rural residents.

Additional reporting from Reuters

Indonesian President Joko Widodo, second from right, and Chinese President Xi
Jinping, second from left, attend a meeting at the Great Hall of the People in
Beijing on Nov. 9, 2014. (Reuters Photo/Jason Lee)

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