A Senior Officials Meeting (SOM), part of the 60th Asian-Africa Conference (AAC), opened at the Jakarta Convention Centre in Indonesia on April 19.

Speaking at the ceremony, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said that expanding South-South Cooperation - a framework for cooperation between southern African and southern Asian nations - so that it includes more development partners, will help improve the development partnership between the two continents as a whole.

She said that the cooperation will not only narrow the development gap among countries, but also encourage global peace and prosperity.

According to Indonesian Foreign Ministry spokesman Arrmanatha Nasir, representatives from 89 Asian and African countries are participating in the 60 th ACC, including about 30 heads of state.-VNA