Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto affirmed that Indonesia has never neglected national defense despite adhering to a free and non-aligned foreign policy system that is impartial and respects the interests of all countries.
"The situation in Ukraine teaches us that we can never abandon our security and independence and never take them for granted. Therefore, we are determined to strengthen our defense. Our outlook is defensive, but we will defend our territory with all of our resources," Subianto stated at the 19th International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Shangri-La Dialogue 2022 forum in Singapore, Saturday.
Furthermore, he conveyed that respect for all friendly countries is important in maintaining harmonious relations between nations in Asia for decades despite the presence of a territorial dispute.
In the last four to five decades, countries in Asia have found ways to tackle challenges related to maintaining each country's defense, Subianto noted.
The minister pointed out that the common experience shared by Asian countries, such as being enslaved and exploited, had forced them to strive to create a peaceful and friendly environment.
“In our experience, over the last 40 to 50 years, we have found our own way, the Asian way, to solve this challenge. We decided that our shared experience of being dominated, enslaved, and exploited, forced us to struggle and create a peaceful environment," he remarked.
Subianto also drew attention to the fact that the world's great powers, such as China and the United States, should have realized their major responsibility to maintain world peace through wisdom and virtue.
“As the Chinese philosopher Confucius taught, power and leadership must always come with benevolence. With all the challenges we face, we are optimistic that wisdom, rationality, and common sense will prevail," he concluded.
The 2022 IISS Shangri-La Dialogue, scheduled on June 10-12 2022, is an important event for defense leaders in the Asia Pacific.
During the event, the ministers discussed the latest security challenges in the Indo-Pacific region and provided opportunities for bilateral meetings to produce new-fangled approaches to address defense-related issues.
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