Banda Aceh, Aceh, Nov. 3 -- The National Resilience Institute (Lemhannas) urged the Sabang free port area in Aceh to be developed as an international hub for global trade and an energy shorebase.

"We hope the development of Sabang as an international strategic route can strengthen our national interests," Lemhannas Governor TB Ace Hasan Syadzily said here on Tuesday.

Syadzily made the statement at a press conference on the sidelines of a national seminar titled "Sabang as a Strategic Gateway for Economic Growth, Maritime Sovereignty, and National Energy Resilience" in Banda Aceh.

According to him, Sabang is a very strategic gateway to Indonesia's west, especially as it lies on the Strait of Malacca international trade route.

He said S...