AT THE OPENING SESSION OF THE FIFTH SUMMIT OF THE DEVELOPING EIGHT

WELCOMING STATEMENT BY


H.E. DR. SUSILO BAMBANG YUDHOYONO
PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA

AT THE OPENING SESSION OF
THE FIFTH SUMMIT OF THE DEVELOPING EIGHT

BALI, 13 MAY 2006


Bismillahirrahmanirrahiim
Assalamu’alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh
Excellencies Presidents, Prime Ministers, Ministers of the D-8 member Countries,
Distinguished Delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Let me begin by extending a warm welcome to all of you to Bali, Indonesia.
Bali is known the world over for its artistic people, breathtaking landscape and wonderful culture. But recently, Bali is also known for its resilience and courage, which you can see in the valiant way the Balinese people coped with 2 devastating terrorist attacks, one in 2002, and another in 2005. I have found the strength and wisdom of the Balinese to be truly inspiring.
We are here today to advance a common vision that was declared in Istanbul in 1997 when our Developing 8 grouping of nations was established.
Back then, we were very clear about how we wanted to go forward. That is, through : Peace not war; Dialog not confrontation; Cooperation not exploitation, Justice not double standard; Equality not discrimination; Democracy not oppression.
As we crossed into the Third Millennium, where we still find ourselves in a volatile world still trying to find balance, these principles remain as critical as ever to our endeavors.
Our D-8 gathering here is significant on many accounts.
It is a testament to our belief that our peoples need to do more to help one another, to cooperate with one another.
It reinforces the conviction that we need to play an active part as subjects, not objects, of a globalized world.
It reaffirms our strategic conviction that we must be able to embrace modernity by becoming forward-looking, by becoming knowledge-driven, by advancing a culture of excellence.
And of course, our meeting here in Bali, a predominantly Hindu island, reaffirms our commitment to promote tolerance as a bedrock of world peace in the third millennium.
And so here we are today. Bangladesh. Egypt. Indonesia. Iran. Malaysia. Nigeria. Pakistan. Turkey. We are all proud nations on the march towards democracy, modernity, and progress.
We are about half a billion people, with a total GDP of US$ 1,218 billions. We are a growing market with rising buying power, and our grouping also consists of energy producers and consumers.
Our potentials are enormous. Our resources vast. Great opportunities lie await.
Since our Group was established nine years ago, we have sought to develop and carry out practical measures to improve the position of our member countries in the world economy. Thus, we have been promoting diversification and creating opportunities for expanding our trade relations, while enhancing our participation in international decision making.
With member countries from Asia, Africa and Europe, the Developing Eight represents an innovative and modern economic grouping that serves as an alternative model for relations among developing countries in the global economic system.
And we have had some positive accomplishments. During the period 1999-2004, D-8 intra-trade grew by US $ 33 billion for a 127 percent increase in 5 years.
I know that we could do better than these figures. And I know that our Governments are keen to facilitate greater engagement of the private sector. You will notice, for example, that at the sideline of this Bali Summit, we have been holding, for the first time, a Trade Fair participated by all D-8 countries and also a Business Forum that gathered prominent members of our business communities. We can help them be more productive by accelerating the implementation of the visa agreement for D-8 countries.
Actually, we could have achieved more in our intra-trade, but there were problems that stood in the way. Some of these problems are not economic but are political and security-related. Some of them do not even originate within our borders but outside, yet they can have a severely adverse impact on our economies.
But, like all of you, I am an optimist who seek a solution in every problem rather than a pessimist who see a problem in every solution.
That is why our Summit today is going to consider and, I hope, adopt the draft Bali Declaration. It will lay down new strategies, policies and concepts for our cooperation that are more focused and feasible, that are more certain to lead to concrete benefits for our peoples. And it expresses our renewed commitment to sustain and enhance our cooperation. Of course, to give life to the Bali Declaration we need to substantiate it with a strong political will.
And we can make our cooperation more comprehensive so that it effectively addresses the problem of poverty. Thus, we can help each other attain our Millennium Development Goals by 2015.
We must also address the global energy crisis by enhancing our cooperation in the field of energy. We can work together to research and develop renewable and alternative sources of energy.
We must intensify our cooperation in combating infectious diseases—such as avian influenza, HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.
We must do our share in promoting dialogue among civilizations to help strengthen the unity and solidarity of our communities. We must therefore support the “Alliance of Civilizations” under the aegis of the UN Secretary General.
We must also improve our access to the world market for our products and services in accordance with the spirit of free trade—while we continue to strengthen our intra-trade.
This is why I keenly welcome our scheduled signing of two important Agreements, namely: the Preferential Trade Agreement and the Agreement on Administrative Assistance in Customs Matter. This achievement greatly adds to the significance of our Summit, as the operation of these two Agreements will enhance D-8 intra-trade.
We need to get on with follow-up measures to ensure their speedy implementation. Here, I welcome the fact that some of our Central Banks have begun to touch base.
And I hope that this will be the beginning of a series of concrete achievements that will lead us to an easier and higher path to socioeconomic development.
Excellencies Ladies and Gentlemen,
Today, more than ever before, we feel the need to make the D-8 an even more effective instrument of our common struggle to deal with the challenge of development.
This means that we must bring the D-8 to a higher level of organizational maturity through, among other ways, the enhancement of our Secretariat so that it can give more substantive support to our work.
Indonesia is humbled and honored to become Chairman of the Developing-8. Indonesia stands ready to do its part in enhancing collaboration among D-8 countries. I trust that we will be able to count on the continued cooperation and guidance of all our D-8 partners.
This is where I extend my highest appreciation to H.E. Dr. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and our Iranian colleagues for their perseverance in making D-8 cooperation more concrete and relevant during Iran’s Chairmanship of the past two years.
I also wish to thank our Executive Director, Ambassador Ahyan Kamel, and his staff for working so hard and doing a good job of supporting and facilitating our meetings.
So let us now begin our work.
I wish you all a productive deliberation and a happy stay in our beloved home, Indonesia, and hope that you will come back here over and over again.
By saying Bismillahirrahmanirrahiim. With that expression of hope and prayer, I declare this Fifth Summit of D-8 Countries open.
I thank you very much.
Wassalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.

Bali, 13 May 2006
PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA
DR. SUSILO BAMBANG YUDHOYONO