Illustrative photo (Source: theayic.com) Jakarta (VNA) – The Indonesian Foreign Ministry had a meeting with participants of the ASEAN Youth Interfaith Camp (AYIC) 2018 in Jakarta on October 29.
The 22-strong delegation, representing the cultural and religious diversity of ASEAN countries, is taking part in various activities during the camp, including dialogues, discussions, and workshops in Jakarta, Yogyakarta city, and the island of Bali.
They will visit various famous cultural and religious destinations in Indonesia, such as Istiqlal Mosque and Jakarta Cathedral in the capital city; Borobudur Temple, Prambanan Temple, and Kotagede Mosque in Yogyakarta; as well as Besakih Temple and Dalung village in Bali.
The delegates also had the chance to talk with scholars and students at the Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta and the Hindu University Indonesia in Bali.
At the meeting on October 29, Indonesian Deputy Foreign Minister Abdurrahman Mohammad Fachir stressed that ASEAN needs to be engraved with values of tolerance to manage religious and cultural diversity so that future leaders can ensure that this region will always be peaceful and prosperous.
He underlined the necessity to make use of chances generated by the golden population in the ASEAN region to continue empowering the youth through cooperation activities and to address challenges and develop ASEAN into a proud, multi-faith region.
ASEAN Deputy Secretary General AKP Mochtan said over the five decades of its existence, the ASEAN has developed prosperously in a multi-cultural and religious ecosystem which is part of the true heritage of the bloc. It is important to imbue the young with these values to ensure that ASEAN will remain a peaceful and harmonious region in the future, Mochtan added.
He added that the youth will continue to hold an important position in ASEAN’s agenda. Therefore, the AYIC 2018 is a strategic step to translate the ASEAN Declaration on Culture of Prevention into action.
For their part, participants in the AYIC 2018 conveyed the message that they will cherish the bloc’s common values like peace, harmony, cultural understanding, and social responsibility, as well as act in the spirit of the ASEAN Declaration on Culture of Prevention for the sake of a peaceful, integrated, dynamic, healthy, and harmonious society. –VNA
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