Asian and African foreign ministers participated in an event held head of the 60 th anniversary of the Asian-African Conference (or Bandung Conference) pledged to combat terrorism and drug trafficking in Jakarta, Indonesia on April 21.

According to Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi of the host country Indonesia, the Asian and African FMs were fully aware of the importance of peace and stability as well as the necessity to step up the fight against trans-national crime, including terrorism and drug trade.

The first Asian-African Conference was held in Bandung city, Indonesia from April 18-24, 1955 where leaders from 29 Asian and African countries issued the 10-point Bandung Declaration that laid a solid foundation for relationship among nations from the two continents, including respect to national sovereignty and international law, peaceful settlement of disputes, and promotion of cooperation, among others.

The event created a driving force for many colonised countries in the two continents to fight for their independence. It also laid the foundation for the establishment of other frameworks and groups, including the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), Group 77 and the South-South Cooperation Agreement.

Themed “Strengthening South-South Cooperation to Promote World Peace and Prosperity”, this year’s event expects to adopt three documents, namely the Bandung Message 2015, the Declaration to reactivate the New Asia-Africa Strategic Partnership and the Palestine Declaration.-VNA