Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines Issue Four-Point Declaration

Yogyakarta (Antara Bali) - A four-point agreement was reached during the Indonesia-Philippine-Malaysia trilateral meeting held here on Thursday, according to Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi.

"The meeting today produced a four-point declaration," the Indonesian foreign minister stated at the Gedung Agung building here on Thursday.

Marsudi said the three ASEAN member countries had agreed to conduct joint and coordinated maritime patrols in a bid to maintain regional security.

According to the minister, all countries participating in the trilateral meeting also agreed to offer immediate help in case a ship was found to be under any threat or in need of assistance.

Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines also agreed to exchange information among their intelligence agencies in response to any emergency situation.

The three nations will also design a special communication channel soon aimed at expediting communication to anticipate any threatening incident.

Besides Marsudi, the trilateral meeting was also attended by Philippines Secretary of Foreign Affairs Jose Rene Almendras and Malaysian Foreign Minister Sri Anifah Haji Aman, as well as Indonesian Defense Forces Commander General Gatot Nurmantyo and military officers of the two other nations. (WDY)