Laksono: Indonesia will not recognize Kosovo's independence

The Serbian delegation is on a multi-day visit to Indonesia, as part of which Minister Laksono received representatives of the state, Churches and religious communities in Serbia in the presence of Indonesian Deputy Minister of Religious Affairs Nasaruddin Umar. The Coordinating Ministry for People's Welfare is an umbrella body for eight ministries. As The press learnt from the government's Office for Cooperation with Churches and Religious Communities, Laksono said that Indonesia and Serbia have historically good relations, and that the two countries are bound by ethnic and cultural diversity, being "close brothers" for over 60 years, since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Belgrade and Jakarta. Radojevic relayed Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic's message to Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono that "he highly appreciates the support that Indonesia is giving to Serbia's vital interest- the preservation of Serbia's integrity and non-recognition of Kosovo's independence." Radojevic also passed on Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dacic's message that he is looking forward to a ministerial-level meeting of the two countries, and expansion of bilateral cooperation. For an inter-religious conference addressing issues related to religious and cultural diversity, the host has formed a delegation comprising officials from the ministries of foreign and religious affairs and university professors of Muslim, Protestant, Roman Catholic, Hindu, Buddhist, Confucian and Orthodox denominations. The representatives of the state of Serbia, Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC), the Roman Catholic Church in Serbia, Islamic and Jewish communities in Serbia spoke at the conference. It has been estimated that this second inter-religious dialogue between Serbia and Indonesia was a meeting point for all major world religions. Experiences were exchanged on how people of different religions can live alongside each other in harmony in the two countries.