Jakarta dialogue stresses maritime peace
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The fourth Jakarta International Defense Dialogue (JIDD) opened on Wednesday, aiming to bolster trust and collaboration between nations in the Indo-Pacific region.
Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro said in his welcoming address that the JIDD was designed as a forum for different groups to come together and discuss security issues in the region.
“It is expected that the informal nature of the forum could create a conducive atmosphere that would encourage confidence-building and collaboration in maritime security affairs,” he said.
Vice President Boediono in his opening speech said that as a maritime nation, Indonesia realized the importance of the Indo-Pacific region and acknowledged that Indonesia should focus on maritime issues because they affected the country’s politics, security and economics.
“As a country surrounded by vast sea, Indonesia is required to enhance its maritime capabilities and enhance maritime cooperation with countries who prioritize maritime cooperation,” he said.
Some 500 delegates, including scholars and military and government officials, from 46 countries are attending the two-day forum, held in conjunction with the anniversary of the Indonesian Defense University.
The event, taking the theme “Building Maritime Collaboration for Security and Stability”, consists of five sessions featuring distinguished panelists from different countries in the region, and a defense expo.
In the first session, titled “Exploring the Indo-Pacific”, Australian Defense Minister David Johnston said that the region was too large for one country alone to create stability that would benefit economic interests.
Vice Adm. RK Pattanaik of the Indian Defense Ministry, agreed, adding the Indo-Pacific concept was rooted in maritime cooperation because both threats and humanitarian assistance or disaster relief crossed sea borders.
“The success of the Indo-Pacific region is dependent on studying each other’s maritime habits, conducting joint maritime training and also relying on each other’s maritime strength,” he said.
Johnston noted, however, that cooperation and dialogue within the region was not without its ups and downs.
“A lesson to be learned is that there have been some hiccups and territorial disputes but there are rules we must abide by,” he said.
Relations between Australia and Indonesia have faltered over the last few months over revelations Australian intelligence tapped the phone of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, his wife and a number of ministers, and over Australian warships breaching Indonesian waters to send back boat people.
In the second session, titled “Managing Contested Water”, representatives from China insisted that historical factors should be considered as it negotiated with its neighbors in resolving overlapping territorial claims, including over maritime borders.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea, delineated by the “nine-dotted line” in its map of the region, on historical grounds.
The People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) deputy chief of general staff, Adm. Sun Jianguo, said, however, that China would try to resolve all its border disputes peacefully with a “win-win” solution for all concerned.
Sun said that China had border disputes with almost all its neighbors, whether land or maritime, and that conflicts relating to them would be destabilizing for the region as well as for China.
“The maritime disputes should be resolved taking into account history as well as international law,” he said, adding that countries should work to resolve these disputes by promoting the larger, common interest of peace.
Tensions have been rising in the East China Sea and the South China Sea in recent years with China becoming more assertive in enforcing its territorial claims, bringing it into direct conflict with Japan, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and other countries.
Indonesia, through the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), is currently trying to negotiate with China for the establishment of a binding code of conduct that should be used in resolving the disputes in the South China Sea.
Adm. Harry Harris, commander of the US Pacific Fleet, underlined the importance of countries abiding by acceptable norms of behavior in resolving maritime disputes.
While the United States would not take sides in these maritime disputes, it opposed the use of intimidation and force by one party against another, he said. (fss)
Jakarta dialogue stresses maritime peace | The Jakarta Post
