Indonesia to assist Lanka in combating radicalism & extremism

Indonesia is set to give assistance to Sri Lanka in counter-terrorism measures as the two countries have agreed to strengthen bilateral relations in the security and defense sectors following a meeting between President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in Jakarta on Wednesday, the Jakarta Post reported.

Jokowi and Wickremesinghe met at the State Palace to discuss several issues such as security and economic partnership, Foreign Affairs Minister Retno LP Marsudi said. Prime Minister Wickremesinghe considers Indonesia a role model in counter-terrorism efforts.

"Every time we talk about countering extremism, radicalism and terrorism, we’re invited to contribute. Indonesia is a country with the largest Muslim population in the world but at the same time it has pluralistic communities and has managed to spread tolerance and moderation," Retno said after a bilateral meeting on Wednesday.

Wickremesinghe expressed his expectation that Indonesia could help his nation combat terrorism and radicalism.

Besides having a bilateral meeting with Jokowi, Wickremesinghe visited Indonesia to also attend the 12th World Islamic Economic Forum held on Aug. 2 to Aug. 4 at the Jakarta Convention Center.