VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOINews, Jakarta - Officials from the Ministry of Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration (Kemendes PDTT) and several village heads are visiting Dongziguan village in Fuyang, Hangzhou city, China, to study sustainable village development practices.

"Apart from that, the village heads will also learn how Dongziguan village maintains cultural heritage, as well as share experiences with village communities in China," director general of transmigration area (PPKTrans) development at the ministry, Danton Ginting, informed in a statement released in Jakarta on Friday.

It is hoped that the visit will strengthen cooperation between the two countries in promoting sustainable village development, he said.

Dongziguan village has a history of more than 1,500 years, and it is an attractive destination for a benchmarking study because the village has cultural heritage and is rich in Chinese historical sites, he added.

He said that Dongziguan village has preserved nearly a hundred ancient buildings dating back to the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the civil war, including the Xu's grand family mansion, Anya Hall, Long Pool Hall, Yue Shi Temple, Chunhe Hall, and Zhu Jia Hall.

The benchmarking study is being conducted from October 15–25, 2023. A total of 20 village heads from several Indonesian provinces have joined the visit to network and exchange ideas and experiences with villages in China.

The benchmarking study is the result of a collaboration between the Ministry of Village PDTT of the Republic of Indonesia and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) of China.

Ginting said that during the study, each delegate will exchange knowledge and best practices in an effort to achieve common goals in the sustainable development of rural areas.

"This collaboration is an important milestone in rural development in both countries," he added. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) discussed efforts to strengthen economic cooperation at the 1st Summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Gulf Cooperation Council (ASEAN-GCC).

"ASEAN and the GCC are two great powers that will continue to grow," he said at the summit, which was broadcast online from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Friday.

With the gross domestic product (GDP) of both regions reaching more than US$5 trillion and their total population exceeding 700 million, ASEAN and the GCC have large resources to play a strategic and positive role amid a polarized world, he observed.

"We need to maximize economic potential through balanced and open investment and trade with the ASEAN-GCC trade framework and through industrial development, halal certification, and halal tourism development," the President said.

Furthermore, he called for the strengthening of mutually beneficial partnerships between ASEAN and GCC members to support food and energy security through cooperation in the agriculture and food sectors, alignment of agricultural commodity standards, and energy transition programs.

At the end of his speech, he raised the issue of the protection of migrant workers.

"Amid the increasingly uncertain global situation, I underline ASEAN's commitment to improving protection for migrant workers, and I ask for the support of GCC countries," he said.

He also lauded the accession of all GCC members to the ASEAN Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) as a commitment of Gulf countries to support peace in Southeast Asia and the Indo-Pacific region.

ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn, representatives of ASEAN nations, and GCC countries consisting of Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates, attended the 1st ASEAN-GCC Summit.

Earlier on Thursday, President Widodo held a bilateral meeting with Saudi Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman al-Saud in Riyadh to discuss cooperation and relations between the two countries. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - Indonesia secured an additional quota of 20 thousand for the 2024 Hajj pilgrimage following a bilateral meeting between President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman al-Saud.

At the meeting that took place on the sidelines of the 1st Summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Gulf Cooperation Council (ASEAN-GCC) in Riyadh on Friday, President Widodo spoke to the PM about the long queue for Hajj in Indonesia.

The long queue is leading to some prospective pilgrims having to wait up to 47 years.

"Therefore, Indonesia needs an additional Hajj quota. Alhamdulillah (thank God), the response was very positive," he said while delivering a press statement regarding his visit to Riyadh, which was uploaded on the YouTube channel of the Presidential Secretariat.

According to the President, Indonesia was given an additional quota of at least 20 thousand for next year's Hajj, less than 12 hours after the meeting.

Earlier, Indonesia's pilgrim quota for the 2024 Hajj pilgrimage was capped at 221 thousand, while the quota for Hajj officers was set at 2,200.

The Indonesian government has started to prepare for the 2024 Hajj services, including preparing qualified Hajj officers in accordance with the needs.

Director general of Hajj and Umrah implementation at the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Hilman Latief, had earlier highlighted the importance of careful planning for the preparation of Hajj officers, including determining the qualifications and placement schemes to improve Hajj services. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - Malaysia is proposing the creation of a free trade agreement between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) its premier said on Friday at a summit of the two blocs.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said such an agreement would be the first of its kind between ASEAN and Gulf states.

"This agreement is crucial in advancing progressive, inclusive and sustainable growth especially as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and face geopolitical uncertainties," he said in a speech at the ASEAN-GCC Summit in Saudi Arabia on Friday.

ASEAN, a 10-member bloc of more than 600 million people, has for years been seeking to integrate its economies, worth a combined $2.3 trillion, through trade, investment and harmonised standards and customs procedures.

However, efforts to establish free trade deals have been protracted, with some members with exports-reliant economies going it alone in seeking better access to their key markets.

ASEAN is part of the Regional Cooperation Economic Partnership (RCEP) along with China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. (Reuters)