NAN-F-34
Commendation
Jakarta, April 5, 2017 (dpa/NAN) Indonesia on Wednesday commended Afghan President Ashraf Ghani for his efforts to bring peace to his violence-ravaged country, as he embarked on his first official trip to South-East Asia.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo said his country was committed to supporting peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan, which had grappled with a violent Taliban insurgency for 16 years.
“Indonesia appreciates measures taken by the government of Afghanistan to restore peace and stability,’’ Widodo said after talks with Ghani at the presidential palace.
“Indonesia stands ready to share its experience in reconciliation to reach peace,’’ he said.
In 2015, Indonesia signed a peace deal with rebels in the devoutly-Muslim Aceh province, ending a decade-long insurgency that claimed more than 15,000 lives.
Afghanistan and Indonesia signed agreements on education, agriculture and bureaucratic reform during Ghani’s visit.
Nearly 4,000 Afghan asylum seekers had languished in Indonesia for years, while awaiting resettlement to a third country.
Indonesia is the world’s largest Muslim-majority country.
Ghani’s trip to Indonesia followed a three-day visit to Australia, which included a meeting with the Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
Turnbull and Ghani had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the Afghanistan-Australia development partnership worth 320 million Australian dollars (242 million dollars) over the next four years. (dpa/NAN)
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Edited by Celine-Damilola Oyewole/Ese E. Ekama