Jakarta, Oct. 30 -- Culture Minister Fadli Zon urged that the protection and advancement of culture should not be merely a matter of the past, but rather an investment for the future.

"Indonesia believes that culture is the foundation for global solidarity, equality, and sustainability," Fadli Zon said, as quoted in a statement received in Jakarta on Thursday.

At the 4th G20 Cultural Working Group and Culture Ministers' Meeting in South Africa, he underscored the need to curb illicit cultural object trade through global collaboration and digital technology to track artifact origins and strengthen cultural heritage protection.

He also emphasized the need to integrate cultural policies with national socio-economic strategies so that the ...