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onnectivity will be the keyword going forward for both the Asian and European continents as both regions stand to benefit from greater cooperation with each other.

As an immediate beneficiary of good relations between Asia and Europe, Indonesia believes that the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) platform should play a greater role in addressing the common challenges that both regions face, says Vice President Jusuf Kalla.

“Today, developing connectivity has become more important than ever, as Asia and Europe face common challenges such as the widening development gap between the richest and poorest within and between nations, Kalla said in his speech to the 11th ASEM Summit plenary in Ulaanbaatar on Friday.

Kalla is in Mongolia to lead the Indonesian delegation to the ASEM Summit, convened with a focus on enhancing partnerships through connectivity. He is accompanied by Deputy Foreign Minister AM Fachir and a number of expert staffers.

This year marks the 20th anniversary since the intercontinental grouping was established, which has become more relevant in the aftermath of the UK’s decision to leave the EU.

Besides serving as a “bridge for connectivity” in areas of economic trade and investment, but also physical connectivity, ASEM could also promote peace and conflict resolution, becoming a platform for promoting shared and common values, Kalla argued.

“ASEM should [also] promote digital connectivity to ensure the equality of access and benefit from ICT [Internet and communications technology], including for small and medium enterprises,” he said, adding that it was important to pool and manage resources among ASEM partners to ensure equal benefit between Asia and Europe.

The VP also took the opportunity to conduct several bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the summit, including with Mongolian President Tsakhia Elbegdorj, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and newly-elected Myanmar President Htin Kyaw.

In commemoration of 60 years of Mongolian-Indonesian diplomatic ties, Kalla met Elbegdorj as soon as he arrived in Ulaanbaatar in order to speak about the vast trade opportunities between the two countries, as well as closer cooperation on promoting democracy, Dewi Fortuna Anwar of the VP secretariat said.

The Mongolian president also expressed hope for more substantive bilateral relations and cooperation, she said.

Meanwhile, ahead of his forthcoming visit to Jakarta in November, Rutte announced his intention to bring a large delegation focusing on trade and economic cooperation.

In the bilateral meeting with Japan, Abe expressed an interest in his country taking part in the ‘Improvement on television transmitting stations (ITTS)’ project to upgrade state broadcaster TVRI from an analog to a digital system, Fachir said.

Lastly, Kalla congratulated Kyaw on his election, conveyed greetings from President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and extending an invitation to visit Indonesia.

During the bilateral meeting, Kalla specifically asked for support from Kyaw to endorse the initiative of Indonesian civil society organizations Medical Emergency Rescue Committee (MER-C) and the Indonesian Buddhists Association (Walubi) to build a hospital in Rakhine State.

Kyaw suggested that the two organizations discuss this plan further with the Myanmar’s Health Ministry, Fachir said.