Working together means equality. Working together means inclusiveness, and we can only work together if we understand each other.
JAKARTA (ANTARA) – President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) delivered a message from the Global South on promoting global equality, cooperation and inclusion at the G7 Partnership Working Session on Saturday in Hiroshima, Japan.
„Working together means equality. Working together means inclusiveness and we can work together only if we understand each other,” he said in a statement here on Saturday.
He also asked if the G7 countries and partners have embraced equality, inclusion and mutual understanding.
„We must dare to tell the truth; there are many things we need to improve,” he said.
The coronavirus pandemic has taught the world the importance of involving more countries in the global supply chain, the President noted. He therefore called for an end to monopolistic policies.
„Discriminatory policies against developing countries’ products must be stopped. Every country’s right to development must be respected,” he stressed.
According to Jokowi, the countries of the Global South should be allowed to export more than raw materials in the current era, as opposed to the colonial era.
„Is it fair for a country rich in natural resources like Indonesia to be prevented from enjoying the added value of its natural resources? For the country to be prevented from processing its natural resources?” he asked.
He also emphasized the prosperity of the more than 270 million Indonesians who contribute to peace, democracy and the economy in Southeast Asia and the Asia-Pacific region.
With this in mind, Indonesia is not closing itself off, but is working hard to increase equitable cooperation that benefits everyone mutually.
„I believe the G7 countries can partner downstream in the industry, and it’s time to establish a kind of OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) for other products like nickel and palm oil,” he said.
At the end of his speech, he highlighted the important role of the G7 in reducing polarization and called on them to cooperate.
„What the world needs now is not polarization, but unifying cooperation, and I want to emphasize that the G7 countries have a great role to play in building solid and equitable cooperation,” he said.
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