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February 15, 1972

Reference: This Joint Communique is also published in XI DFA TS No. 1, p. 20

At the invitation of the Government of the Republic of the Philippines His Excellency the President of the Republic of Indonesia and Madame Soeharto made a State Visit to the Philippines from 13 to 15 February 1972. The President was accompanied by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Adam Malik, the Minister of State for National Development Planning, Professor Dr. Widjojo Nitisastro, the Chief of Staff of the Army, General Umar Wirahadikusumah, the State Secretary/Cabinet Secretary, Major General Soedharmono, and other high ranking officials of the Indonesian Government. Their visit was in return to that made by His Excellency the President of the Republic of the Philippines and Madame Marcos to Indonesia in January 1968.

In the course of the visit President Soeharto exchanged views with President Marcos on a wide range of current issues, addressed a joint session of Congress and viewed the progress of research being conducted at the International Rice Research Institute in Los Banos, Laguna.

The two Presidents welcomed the opportunity afforded by the visit to review the progress in national development achieved in both countries in the past six years.

President Soeharto and President Marcos expressed satisfaction at the growing friendly relations between their two countries which are rooted in a common historical past, geographical proximity and in an identity of views on common interests and problems. They agreed to further strengthen these relations, both bilaterally as well as in the multilateral framework, through international organizations such as the United Nations, and through regional associations such as the ASEAN.

The two Heads of State noted the intimate cooperation of their two countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), particularly the ASEAN joint approach to the European Economic Community (EEC), in the Asian Coconut Community (ACC), and in United Nations Conference of Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

They agreed to intensify their efforts, along with those of the other ASEAN countries, in making ASEAN a more effective instrument of peace, progress, and stability in the region. In this context they referred to the Declaration of Foreign Ministers of ASEAN countries issued at Kuala Lumpur on 27 November 1971 as another concrete contribution by the ASEAN countries toward this end.

The two Presidents agreed to continue preparations for an Asian Summit Meeting.

They also agreed that in order to develop fully their respective countries, peace and stability were needed both internally as well as in the Southeast Asian region at large. They reiterated their stand that the best policy for the promotion and maintenance of peace in the region is to strengthen the national resilience of their respective countries and to develop close cooperation in matters involving the well-being and security of the region. In this context, the two Presidents were pleased to note the progress of cooperation between Indonesia and the Philippines towards this end, as in exchanges of information, the training of personnel, and joint patrols and exercises solely for self-defense and the enhancement of national defense capability without any reference or recourse whatsoever to military pacts or alliances. Other friendly countries in the Asia-Pacific area would be welcome to join from time, to time in these exercises under the same principle and on the same basis as Philippine-Indonesian cooperation.

The two Presidents noted with satisfaction the growing Philippine investments in Indonesia and die opportunities to share with each other experience and technical expertise and they expressed the hope that mutually beneficial economic collaboration between the two nations will continue to increase.  They welcomed the successful negotiation of an Air Agreement between the two countries and looked forward to its speedy implementation.

They reviewed the activities of the Philippine-Indonesia Joint Commission, which at its first meeting in July 1971 adopted a number of agreements and implementary measures in various fields. They agreed to actively implement these agreements and measures as an effective means of further promoting their respective countries' economic development.

In connection with the forthcoming Conference on the Law of the Sea scheduled by the United Nations General Assembly to take place in 1973, the two Heads of State shared the view that their two countries should take concerted efforts in order that their basic archipelago position may be recognized and agreed to by the international community. To this end, they agreed on ways and means to help each other in obtaining such recognition of their Position.

President Soeharto and President Marcos noted with satisfaction the close cultural links between Indonesian and the Philippines, which continue to develop under the aegis of the cultural agreement signed by the two countries in 1959. They agreed to further strengthen these links through increased exchanges in fields such as education, research, and literary and scientific publications.

President and Madame Soeharto and the members of their party expressed their deep appreciation for the cordial reception and gracious hospitality extended to them by the Philippine Government and the Filipino people during their stay in the Philippines.