The United States is opening up opportunities to expand the involvement of Southeast Asian countries, including Indonesia, in future US-Pacific Islands Conference of Police Ministers.
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United States Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement (INL) F. Cartwright Weiland said that cross-border crime in the Pacific region is increasingly worrying, so his office welcomes collaboration from all parties to address this.
"We welcome continued engagement with partners across the Pacific and the Americas who share our commitment to disrupting transnational criminal networks that threaten our shared security," said F. Cartwright Weiland in response to ANTARA's questions during an online media briefing attended.
The US-Pacific Islands COPMIN was held for the first time in Los Angeles, California, on October 21–22, 2026, involving stakeholders from the US, Pacific island nations, Ecuador, and the Philippines.
The forum aims to strengthen law enforcement cooperation against drug trafficking syndicates, online scams and other cybercrimes, money laundering, and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.
Weiland stated that the Philippines' involvement in this year's event provided an opportunity for forum participants to share knowledge on combating illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing and strengthening maritime security.
He said that the Philippines, as an archipelagic nation, shares similar experiences and challenges with Indonesia and other Pacific island nations regarding maritime surveillance and governance, as well as illegal fishing.
"This is a real challenge faced by the Philippines, faced by Indonesia, and faced by many other countries... The Philippines' participation (in COPMIN this year) certainly opens up real opportunities for similar engagement in the future," Weiland said.
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