Ministerial-Level Meeting in Manado to Address Increasing Terror Threats in Region
Jakarta. Indonesia is set to host a meeting to discuss increasing regional threats from foreign terrorist fighters and cross-border terrorism on Saturday (29/07) in Manado, North Sulawesi. Representatives from a number of neighboring countries are expected to participate in the discussion.
According to Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Arrmanatha Nasir, the ministerial-level meeting will be attended by representatives from Malaysia, the Philippines, Australia, New Zealand and Brunei.
Arrmanatha said the meeting is a follow-up from last year’s international conference on counterterrorism in Bali.
"[This meeting has been arranged] to address escalating [terror] threats in [our] region, especially considering [terrorist attacks] in the last year and the [increasing number] of terrorist groups affiliated with the Islamic State coming into the region," Arrmanatha said during a press briefing in Jakarta on Thursday.
The meeting in Manado will be chaired by Indonesia's Political, Legal and Security Affairs Coordinating Minister Wiranto and Australia's Attorney-General George Brandis.
"[Terrorism] is a new challenge for countries in the region. Each country has its own counter-terrorism policies and other frameworks to deal with the situation. What we are trying to do here is to combine our efforts and see what we can do together," Foreign Affairs Ministry’s director general for Southeast Asia, Denny Abdi, said.
Denny said the meeting will produce a joint statement and strengthen intergovernmental cooperation to ensure stability and security in the region.
"However, it will not limit possibilities for other concrete partnerships between counterterrorism agencies of these countries," Denny said.
On June 22, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines agreed to enhance cooperation and jointly implement a range of counterterrorism measures and strategies.
The agreement was negotiated after radical groups staged a brazen takeover of Marawi City in southern Philippines and hijacked ships sailing on sea borders intersecting the three countries. It was signed in Manila by the countries' defense ministers and police and intelligence chiefs.
The June meeting had focused on addressing the underlying aspects of terrorism, deradicalization, rehabilitation and reintegration programs, as well as intelligence cooperation.
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