Jakarta (Antara Bali)- Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Rizal Ramli wants Indonesia to play an active role in promoting peace in the region by inviting conflicting parties to hold a dialog.
To this end, the Indonesian Navy, as the maritime spearhead, plays a significant role, Ramli said after speaking at the second international maritime security symposium organized by the Indonesian Navy, here, Wednesday.
Indonesia should give priority to maintaining stability, peace, and neutrality in the region, he stated.
Besides this, the country must not become trapped between competing powers: the United States and China.
The symposium is themed "Trust Building and Cooperation in Maritime Affairs to Achieve Peace and Common Welfare."
The biennial symposium was attended by Navy officials representing 42 countries.
Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Navy Admiral Ade Supandi affirmed that the symposium was organized to establish cooperation in maintaining maritime security at the regional and international levels.
During his inaugural address in October 2014, President Joko Widodo reiterated his central program to transform Indonesia into a global maritime axis.
Indonesia is one of the world's largest maritime countries, with some 5.8 million square kilometers of sea territory, while its land territory covers only 1.9 million square kilometers.
It's coastline is some 92 thousand kilometers long, making it the second-longest after Canada.
The country is the largest archipelagic nation in the world, as around 70 percent of its total territory is water, and it has 17,480 islands.
President Joko Widodo, who is determined to develop Indonesia as a global maritime axis, believes that the clusters of islands and vast waters in Indonesia could be used as one of the main axis for advancing the country. (WDY)
