VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Indonesia and Morocco have agreed at a meeting recently to enhance trade cooperation by activating the joint trade commission (JTC) forum and starting negotiations on the preferential trade agreement (PTA) soon. The meeting was a follow up to the signing of a joint statement by Indonesian Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita and Moroccan Junior Trade Minister Rakiya Eddarhem in June 2018 to activate the JTC forum and form the Indonesia-Morocco PTA.

"In an effort to maintain the momentum of signing the joint statement, Indonesia and Morocco have decided on steps to convene the first meeting of the JTC forum and form the PTA at the end of March or early April 2019 in Jakarta," Director of Bilateral Negotiations at the Indonesian Trade Ministry Ni Made Ayu Marthini noted in a written statement released on Wednesday.

The agreement was reached after the two nations held a technical meeting in Jakarta recently.  The Indonesian delegation to the meeting was led by Ni Made Ayu Marthini, while the Moroccan delegation was chaired by senior researcher for Asia and America of the Moroccan Ministry of Industry, Investment, Trade and Digital Economy Asmaa Mkhentar.

Marthini said the two nations also agreed on the term of reference to launch the meeting of the JTC forum. JTC will not only function as a forum for holding regular bilateral meetings to discuss trade barriers but will also play a significant role in supporting the negotiations on PTA. Through the JTC forum, the governments of both nations will also discuss ways to encourage business interactions between their private sectors.

The business interactions will result in the identification of products having the trade potential to increase, so they will become the indicators of products negotiated in the PTA. (ant)

Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan appreciated various parties involved in the discovery of Lion Air PK-LQP Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR). The results of this CVR analysis will be an important clue to the cause of the plane which crashed in Karawang, West Java, last October 29, 2018. In a press conference at the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs, Jakarta, Monday (1/21), Luhut invited various parties involved in the discovery of Lion Air’s CVR, among others Chairman of the National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) Soerjanto Tjahjono, Head of the Rescue Underwater Service Colonel Monang Sitompul and 4 divers who managed to find the CVR. To the media, Luhut told how the Fleet Command I of Underwater Rescue Team and Frogman and Underwater demolition unit personnel worked hard to discover the CVR.

"They modiefied conventional methods carried out by a team hired from Singapore, which was quite expensive, which we rented 3.5 million dollars for 10 days and was unsuccessful. The advantage thing is that they have minimized the search sector. While the National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) team built a team using a Navy ship. Then the equipment was provided by Agency for Assessment and Application of Technology BPPT, and they became a team,” said Luhut.

Meanwhile the Chairperson of the National Transportation Safety Committee Soerjanto Tjahjono said that currently the Committee is in the process of analyzing the results of the CVR reading and it is expected that in less than one year the report on the CVR results can be issued. (VOI / AHM / edit r)

The Indonesian government, at the ASEAN-European Union Foreign Ministers Meeting, encouraged all ASEAN and European Union (EU) member states to increase their contribution to fighting for Palestinian independence. The ASEAN-European Union Foreign Ministers Meeting was held in Brussels, Belgium, on Monday (Jan 21), as noted in a written statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jakarta on Tuesday.

Indonesian Vice-Foreign Minister A.M. Fachir, leading the Indonesian delegation, delivered a speech at the meeting. He remarked that the two-state solution and humanitarian assistance for the Palestinian people are the two crucial areas in which the ASEAN and EU shall continue to cooperate.

"Political differences at international forums should not discourage the commitment to solving humanitarian issues that the Palestinian people are facing," the vice minister stated.

Since the two regions have succeeded in maintaining peace and stability, the Indonesian government expects that the ASEAN and EU will inspire other regions to continue to promote a culture of dialogue and peaceful resolution to conflicts. Moreover, the ASEAN and EU need to strengthen cooperation in facing joint cross-national challenges, such as terrorism, radicalism, and irregular migration.

On the occasion, Vice Minister Fachir also invited the ASEAN and EU to strengthen partnership in contributing to solving various global challenges. In the field of economy, Indonesia has called on the ASEAN and EU to strengthen economic cooperation and to fight protectionist tendency.

The ministerial-level meeting was attended by foreign ministers or those representing 10 ASEAN member countries, 28 EU member nations, and ASEAN Secretary General. The meeting was jointly chaired by Singaporean Minister of Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan and EU Commissioner for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini. The meeting discussed various regional and global issues as well as evaluated 42 years of ASEAN-EU. (ant)

General Elections Commission  (KPU) has stipulated  foreign permanent voters list (DPT) in  2019 presidential election that reach more than 2 million people. Of the total numbers, there are about 2,000 voters in conflict areas, such as   in Yemen. Director of Protection for Indonesian Citizens and Indonesian Legal Entities, Indonesian Foreign Affairs  Ministry, Lalu Muhammaq Iqbal, said that even though the Indonesian embassy in Sanaa, Yemen, had been closed since 2015 and moved to Salalah, Oman and was closed again as of December 31, 2018, the existence of Yemeni's Foreign Election Committee (PPLN) is confirmed to  exist. Iqbal also said that the committee’s work area is under the committe in Muscat, Oman. Meanwhile, the voting for the 2019 presidential election for overseas voters will be held on April 8 to 14.

"There are still Indonesian Communities in Yemen. There are also  PPLN members and some students in Hadramaud. Although the Indonesian Embassy is closed, the PPLN still work," Lalu Muhamad Iqbal said.

Meanwhile, General Elections Commission  (KPU) commissioner, Pramono Ubaid Tanthowi, said that to guarantee the secrecy of voters in Yemen, the delivery of ballot boxes will not be conducted by post, but carried out directly by the Foreign Election Committee (PPLN), considering the tense situation in Yemen and the ballot boxes have to pass through 17 security posts. (KBRN/RETNO/AHM)