Speaking to media afterwards, Duterte said the agreement means “that there will be some interdiction by their Armed Forces and the Armed Forces of the Philippines and that is not really a warning but just a statement that we have chose to end this problem once and for all”.
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“We expressed commitment to take all necessary steps to ensure security in maritime areas of common interest, as two of the largest archipelagos in the world recognized the value of maritime cooperation”, the statement added.
Indonesia’s anti-narcotics chief Budi Waseso praised the move by the Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and called for a similar crackdown to be implemented in his country. “How can we respect that?” he asked.
“I apologize, Mr. President, as sometimes the coal deliveries needed for power plants in my country have been delayed due to the hijackings”, Duterte said.
Duterte thanked Widodo for the warm welcome, saying it was an honor to be in Jakarta.
“I said, you only have a few thousands more”, Duterte added, noting the 3.7 million Filipino drug addicts in the country. “Indonesia is not only a friend but a brother [to us]”, Duterte said. The Philippine president also apologized to Jokowi on the high frequency of abductions of Indonesian citizens in his country’s waters.
“I look forward to reciprocating Widodo’s hospitality when he visits the Philippines in a mutually convenient time.
Indonesia fully supports the Philippines’ chairmanship of Asean”, Jokowi said.
In the Philippines, where the tough-talking Duterte has waged his drug war since he took office, the number of people killed by government or vigilante forces for drug-related reasons has exceeded 2,400, according to the latest numbers.
“In the high seas, the rule in the worldwide waters is this: If you are a pirate, you can be arrested by any nation because piracy is a crime against humanity”, Duterte said.
“Maybe there are sharks around”.
The Philippine president said Malaysia will also be involved in the cooperation.
Although Indonesia has sped up the processing of foreign investment applications, however, more needs to be done to attract foreign investors, especially helping them to find the “right partners”, he said.
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“I hope we can hammer out and craft something that is useful and functional to control crime in the area”, Duterte said.
