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Foreign minister to meet new Philippine counterpart
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The Abu Sayyaf group as seen in a photograph reportedly taken in the southern Philippines. (YouTube/Exclusive)
F
oreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi will meet with her newly inaugurated Philippine counterpart Perfecto Yasay on July 1 in the Philippines, one day after the inauguration of President Rodrigo Duterte and his administration, a spokesman said.
Retno reportedly plans to discuss several key issues with Perfecto and will discuss the rescue of the seven Indonesian hostages who were recently abducted by Philippine militants in Sulu waters, a spokesperson for Retno, Arrmanatha Nasir, said.
"The meeting was not organized to specifically discuss the hostage situation but the topic will definitely be brought up," he said on Thursday as quoted by Tempo.co.
At a press briefing on Tuesday, Retno said that the new government would not deter hostage release efforts. All seven crewmen abducted from the tugboat Charles are in good condition, Retno said.
"They were taken by two different groups of armed men but, according to the latest information, all the crewmen are now in one group in Jolo," Retno said.
Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu met with his counterpart on Sunday to discuss boosting defense cooperation efforts related to the release of the hostages. Plans to increase maritime security, to prevent further incidents from happening, will also be discussed. (liz/dan)
