KEDUTAAN BESAR REPUBLIK INDONESIA
EMBASSY OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA
8 Darwin Avenue, Yarralumla, Canberra, A.C.T. 2600
AUSTRALIA
DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA
PRESS
RELEASE
Australia-Indonesia Joint
Media Statement
International Dialogue On Interfaith Cooperation
Yogyakarta, 6-7 December 2004
Dr.
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, President of the Republic
of Indonesia opened the International Dialogue on Interfaith
Cooperation in Yogyakarta on 6 December 2004. In his
opening remarks, President Yudhoyono said that when
ethnic and religious prejudice was compounded by economic
and political rivalry, conflict was inevitable. The
solution was not to deny the reality of our differences,
but to affirm a deeper, greater and more important reality-our
common humanity.
The two-day Interfaith
Dialogue is co-sponsored by the Government of Australia
and the Government of Indonesia, and organized jointly
by the Muhammadiyah-one of the largest Islamic organization
in Indonesia.
Australia and Indonesia
are determined to promote understanding and to foster
harmony between faith communities across our region.
Today we face many challenges-one of them is how to
empower the moderates within our societies and among
countries in the region. The overwhelming majority in
our societies want peace, harmony and prosperity. There
is much potential for all communities in the region
to cooperate more closely to further our spiritual,
social and economic development goals. Faith and community
leaders have an important role to play in denying extremists
any religious or moral legitimacy and in building trust
between communities.
In what is a clear statement
of their shared commitment to build inclusive communities,
major faith leaders from the ten ASEAN countries, Australia,
New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and East Timor have enthusiastically
agreed to participate.
Interfaith cooperation
is now a necessity-extremism poses a very serious threat
to all our societies. All faiths need to resist those
attempting to drive a wedge between them. We all need
to come together and renounce those who advocate doctrines
of intolerance and violence.
This event will help empower
the moderates and underpin the key role of faith and
community leaders in bridging differences and building
harmony in the South East Asia region. The Interfaith
Dialogue will provide a platform for them to give important
messages to their communities on mutual understanding,
tolerance and peaceful co-existence. By promoting understanding
and learning from each other's experiences, this gathering
will also foster a common regional resolve to meet challenges
such as terrorism and to work together to further social
and economic development.
This is the first joint
Australian-Indonesian Government organized event of
this type and builds on the strong record of cooperation
in organizing major regional meetings to facilitate
cooperation on counter-terrorism and people smuggling.
The Dialogue represents a continuity in both countries'
approach to build understanding of the constructive
role that faith communities play in the region. In February
2004, Indonesia's Department of Foreign Affairs organized
the International Conferences of Islamic Scholars (ICIS),
in cooperation with the Nahdlatul Ulama, the largest
Islamic organization in Indonesia. The Australian Government
has hosted visits to Australia by Islamic leaders and
scholars from the region, and supported a conference
on Islamic Perspective on Governance, State and Society
in South-East Asia, held in Canberra in August 2004.
The Australian and Indonesian
Government hope that the Interfaith Dialogue will be
the beginning of a process of more direct and frequent
communication between the regional faith leaders in
solving problems and building a more harmonious and
peaceful future for the region.
Yogyakarta, 6 December 2004
