Jakarta (VNA) –🌱 Indonesian DeputyPresident Jusuf Kalla on February 1 received a delegation of the southPhilippines-based Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which is visitingIndonesia to learn from the successful peace process in Aceh province.

Speaking with reporters after the meeting, Kalla said theMILF delegation paid a visit to Aceh to observe the region’s development afterthe peace agreement as well as the progress achieved in Indonesia. Kalla said he had shared his experience in encouraging peacein Aceh that was torn by a prolonged conflict between the local armed group andthe Indonesian military. Mutual respect must be the first priority in everypeace mission, and secondly, a compromise, he stressed, adding that Indonesiastill has 10 monitoring teams in Manila. Lauding the development of Aceh province, head of the MILFdelegation Murad Ebrahem noted that the group will learn from the example setby Indonesia in conflict settlement. The same day, Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs RetnoMarsudi also met with the delegation. The foreign minister has conveyed her support to the ongoingefforts in South Philippines in order to achieve peace, and she has also encouragedall parties, including MILF, to contribute to the peace building process and tomaintain peace, said Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs ArrmanathaNasir. During their visit to Indonesia, the MILF delegation wasscheduled to meet representatives of several Indonesian Islamic organizations,such as Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah.

Indonesia has been active in enabling the peace process inSouth Philippines since the 1990s, including its involvement in theInternational Monitoring Team (IMT) in the South Philippines.

Asof 2018, Indonesia has sent 84 officials to the IMT, which was created in 2004to monitor the implementation of the ceasefire agreement forged by thePhilippines government and the MILF in southern Philippines in 2003.

Indonesia`sinvolvement in peace building efforts was also shown when Marsudi launched acooperation agreement with the local government on the field of Islamiceducation during her visit to Davao city of south Philippines in January.

🦹 Thegovernments of Indonesia and Philippines had agreed on the importance ofdeveloping Islamic education, which will cover curriculum development, jointresearch and education workshops; teacher exchange programmes; technicalvocational education and student exchange programmes, especially in Islamicschools in South Mindanao.

Indonesia has also offered 100 scholarships each year tostudents and teachers of Islamic schools in Mindanao of the Philippines tostudy in Indonesia.-VNA