Deputy Minister Of Foreign Affairs Pahala Mansury: South Global Spirit Is The Key To Indonesia-African Development Cooperation

Indonesian Deputy Foreign Minister Pahala Mansury. (Source: Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

JAKARTA - Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia Pahala Mansury said on Thursday, the spirit of Global South will be a key element that distinguishes cooperation between Indonesia and African countries from other countries.

He said this interest includes the right of every country to develop itself, as well as efforts to overcome discriminatory and protective policies, including in the narrative of environmental policy.

The topic will be one of the main agendas in the 2nd Indonesia-African Forum (IAF) which will be held in Bali on 1-3 September 2024.

"The closeness between Indonesia and African countries as part of Global South will play an important role in developing mutually beneficial development cooperation," said the Indonesian Deputy Foreign Minister in a meeting with media editors in Jakarta, Thursday, August 22.

"The historical closeness between Indonesia and Africa, which has been established since the 1955 Asian-Africa Conference, will again be strengthened as a theme in the 2nd IAF: "Bandung Spirit for Africa's Agenda 2063," he said.

He further explained, as a developing country with abundant natural resources and a large population, Indonesia and African countries have a similar interest in strengthening collaboration in four priority sectors: food security, energy security, health security, and mineral resilience.

"African countries have great potential for Indonesia to diversify export markets, commodity supplies, and foreign investment," explained the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia.

"In addition, this collaboration can open up new opportunities to improve economic connectivity and strengthen diplomatic relations between Indonesia and Africa," he said.

The plan, the 2nd IAF will be attended by high-ranking heads of state and officials from African countries, opened by.

This event is expected to produce a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in collaboration with a total value of US$3.5 billion, which aims to encourage mutually beneficial economic growth between Indonesia and African countries.