FULL TEXT: President Aquino speech at press conference with Indonesia president

Statement of President Benigno S. Aquino III
Joint press conference during the State Visit of Indonesian President Joko Widodo
Reception Hall, Malacañan Palace
9 February 2015

Your Excellency:

Indonesia has long been a good friend, a strong partner, and a reliable ally to the Philippines. This is something seen most evidently in our response to natural calamities. After the earthquake and tsunami that struck Indonesia in 2010, for instance, our country stood in solidarity with their nation, and provided support that we could. Likewise, Indonesia has always been ready to assist the Philippines during times of disaster. They were quick to provide financial and logistical support in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan. To our Indonesian friends: On behalf of the Filipino people, I express our nation’s gratitude for your help, and I assure you that our nation will always be prepared to repay your kindness.

More than 65 years since the formal establishment of our bilateral ties, I believe we can continue to look to the future with optimism, and that our relations will be further strengthened during President Widodo’s administration.

President Widodo and I had a fruitful discussion that covered the considerable expanse of cooperative activities between our countries. On top of this, we also spoke about possible areas that could be boosted through our increased cooperation, towards our peoples’ mutual benefit.

One of the highlights of today’s discussion was our countries’ meeting of the minds as regards the protection of migrants and migrant workers. Indonesia and the Philippines both have a significant number of nationals overseas, and it is in our mutual interest to work closely with one another to protect our migrants wherever they may be in the world.

We thus welcome the Joint Declaration on the Protection of Migrants and Migrants Workers issued by our Secretary of Foreign Affairs and his Indonesian counterpart. The declaration aims to strengthen cooperation between the Philippines and Indonesia in promoting and protecting the rights of migrants and migrant workers, and in outlining the measures we will take to assist each other’s nationals through our diplomatic missions overseas.

Another notable topic we discussed was that of maritime affairs. Indonesia and the Philippines are two of the world’s largest archipelagic states, and are among the top five countries with the longest coastlines. We are both parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and of the Coral Triangle Initiative. Therefore, closer cooperation and coordination between our two countries in maritime affairs is vital.

Both sides agreed to coordinate more closely on a number of maritime issues. Having found success in delimiting our exclusive economic zones, we are more encouraged to further improve our approach to maritime boundary delimitation, border cooperation, and cooperation in combating illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing or IUUF under the scope of the Philippines-Indonesia Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation or JCBC.

President Widodo and I also exchanged views on economic cooperation, including how to expand trade and investment between our countries. The opportunities are certainly there, especially given that Indonesia and the Philippines are two of the fastest growing economies in the region.

Discussions likewise touched on defense cooperation, people-to-people exchanges and possible roll-on/roll-off arrangements between Philippine and Indonesian Ports, as well as Indonesia’s continuing role in our Peace Process. The Philippines and Indonesia hold similar positions on a variety of regional and international issues.

As further proof of the meaningful and tangible cooperation between the Philippines and Indonesia, three agreements were likewise signed today. These are:

• The Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in Combating Illicit Trafficking and Abuse of Narcotics, Psychotropic Substances and their Precursors;
• The Memorandum of Understanding in the Field of Technical Vocational Education and Training;
• The Memorandum of Understanding between the National Defense College of the Philippines and Indonesia’s Lembaga Ketahanan Nasional (LEMHANAS) on Cooperation in Education, Research and Training.

These agreements pave the way for enhanced bilateral collaboration in these fields, as the Philippines continues to engage Indonesia towards having our people reap the maximum benefits from our partnership.

Indeed, my meeting with President Widodo filled me with optimism. I believe that, under his presidency, Philippines-Indonesia relations will be propelled to even greater heights. In his few months in office, President Widodo has demonstrated his strong commitment to inclusive growth, an idea that has always served as my administration’s north star. I am thus incredibly eager to work closely with His Excellency, given the vision we share for our respective peoples.

I am hopeful that, during his stay, President Widodo can feel the inherent hospitality and warmth of our people, which characterizes our nation’s sentiment towards one of our most solid partners in the ASEAN region. Rest assured, the Philippines will continue working to deepen our bilateral relationship even further, and build further on the enduring friendship between our countries and our peoples.

We thank you. 

(Source: Gov.ph)