VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi met with ASEAN Foreign Ministers and the United Kingdom on Wednesday to discuss the cooperation between the two continents.

The UK donated £ 1 million (around Rp.19 billion) to the ASEAN COVID-19 Response Fund to help Southeast Asian countries fight the coronavirus pandemic.

"Indonesia welcomes Britain's contribution to the ASEAN COVID-19 Response Fund of 1 million pounds," Retno said in a press briefing in Jakarta, Wednesday.

Retno also emphasized the importance of vaccine cooperation at the meeting.

"Indonesia also hopes that the development of vaccine candidates in the UK, which is already at an advanced stage, is a step that brings us closer to getting an equivalent vaccine," Retno continued.

Retno said that ASEAN and the UK must continue to strengthen global health governance to expect the possibility of another pandemic. 

"It is important for ASEAN and the UK to continue to promote multilateral vaccines to ensure equal access to safe vaccines at affordable prices, through the Covax Facility Framework," she said.

Retno said if all countries committed to multilateralism, they will contribute to world peace, stability, and prosperity. 

"First, Indonesia hopes that Britain will continue to play a role as guardian of multilateralism," she said.

She said there are positive values in multilateralism ​​such as a sense of equality, certainty, a sense of belonging, and protection for all countries. 

Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto emphasized that defense cooperation between Indonesia and the Swedish royal government will have an impact on the development of the defense industry.

He hopes that the Indonesian Parliament can immediately approve the bill (RUU) on Ratification of the Agreement between the Government of Indonesia and the Government of the Kingdom of Sweden regarding Cooperation in the Defense Sector.

"The ratification of this cooperation will have implications for cooperation in the defense sector, open up opportunities for Indonesia to develop the defense industry, intensify defense cooperation, lay a solid legal foundation for defense cooperation between the two countries," Prabowo said at the House of Representatives Commission I virtual meeting, on Wednesday.

The meeting discussed the Bill on Ratification of the Agreement between the Government of Indonesia and the Government of the Kingdom of Sweden regarding Cooperation in the Defense Sector that was proposed by the government.

Prabowo believes that the ratification of the cooperation will have positive implications for the political aspects of the two countries, namely increasing and strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries.

Therefore, he hoped that it can encourage the strengthening of cooperation in other fields that are beneficial to the development and national interests of the two countries.

He explained that the defense cooperation between Indonesia and the Kingdom of Sweden includes seven points.

First, the exchange of information and experiences on issues of common interest related to political, military, and international maritime security issues.

"Second, exchange information and best practices, and promote cooperation between agencies of the two countries in the field of research and development of science and other related institutions," he said.

He explained, the third point, development of cooperation and exchange of experiences related to logistical support and maintenance on the basis of mutual benefit and agreement from the parties; fourth, support for the development of cooperation in the defense industry which includes technology transfer, joint research, joint production, joint marketing, and quality assurance.

Fifth, development and enhancement of military training at all levels including civilian personnel in the Ministry of Defense; sixth, the development of activities that lead to military medical and health activities; and seventh, other mutually agreed upon cooperation.

Prabowo said that based on Law No. 24 of 2000 on International Treaties, it is stated that the conditions for the entry into force of international agreements in the defense sector must be ratified in the form of laws.

For this reason, the Ministry of Defense submitted the bill to the DPR RI to get joint approval and the law would become the legal basis for any cooperation in the defense sector between the two countries. (Antaranews)

Indonesia shows social concern for Argentina amid the COVID-19 pandemic by providing sanitation tools and basic food assistance to the government of the Province of Buenos Aires.

The assistance is part of the "Indonesia Solidaria" program, which is an act of social awareness from the Indonesian Embassy in Buenos Aires to ease the burden on the Argentinean people affected by COVID-19, according to a written statement from the Indonesian Embassy in Buenos Aires received in Jakarta, Wednesday.

"This solidarity is manifested by the Indonesian Government through the Indonesian Embassy in Buenos Aires, by providing assistance with sanitation tools, staple foods, and public kitchen operations," the Indonesian Ambassador for Argentina Niniek Kun Naryatie said.

Ambassador Niniek emphasized that the friendship between Indonesia and Argentina recognizes no geographical barriers, and the COVID-19 pandemic which has a tremendous impact requires every country to help.

"Indonesia is your friend, Indonesia is your brother, and the most important thing is Indonesia for you," Ambassador Niniek said when handing over sanitation tools and staple food aid to the government of the Province of Buenos Aires.

The pandemic had a socio-economic impact on Argentine society.

The unemployment rate in Argentina reached 26.7 percent and the poverty rate rose to 37.5 percent or 11 million people. In addition to sanitation and staple food assistance, the Indonesian Government through the Indonesian Embassy in Buenos Aires also finances the operation of two public kitchens in the city of Lanús, Buenos Aires Province, for five days from 28 September to 2 October 2020. 

Lanús is a buffer city for the capital city of Buenos Aires, with a population of 450 thousand people.

Since the pandemic, the industrial sector which is the mainstay of the city has also been sluggish. To survive, poor people rely on public kitchens owned by the government or local communities. They will wait in line to get a bowl of soup, pasta, or potatoes for lunch.

Since the pandemic, public kitchens were set up everywhere to feed tens of thousands of underprivileged people every day.
In his remarks, the Head of the Agency for Institutional and International Relations of the Province of Buenos Aires, Sofia Sternberg, expressed his gratitude and said that the assistance provided would be of great help to the people in the Province of Buenos Aires.

He also hoped that after the pandemic, between Indonesia and Argentina, especially with the Province of Buenos Aires. (Antaranews)

The Energy Ministers' meeting who are members of the G20 agreed on the important role of biofuels for the clean energy transition.

Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Arifin Tasrif attended the meeting on the second day of the G20 Energy Ministerial level virtually.

Arifin Tasrif said on the website of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources in Jakarta, on Wednesday, that Indonesia is trying to build national energy independence and sovereignty by encouraging increased use of biofuels.

The meeting resulted in documents related to the Circular Carbon Economy (CCE) Platform. 

One of the successful innovations is the implementation of biodiesel 30 percent (B30) in the transportation sector, which is estimated to reduce emissions by 16.9 million tons of CO2. 

"This biodiesel utilization program is a concrete form of Indonesia's active participation in the action to reduce global GHG emissions," Arifin said at the meeting.

He said Indonesia has also found an effective catalyst in the production process of fractions or types of petroleum formation using palm oil or green fuels at Pertamina's refineries, namely Katalis Merah Putih.

In the joint communique, the G20 Energy Ministers acknowledged that the current crisis, apart from having a direct impact on health, economy, and society, has caused the destabilization of the global energy market.

They also noted the disproportionate effect the pandemic has had on the most vulnerable communities and communities, underlining the need to ensure that energy sector recovery efforts leave no one behind.

Therefore, the G20 Energy Ministers agreed on the importance of international cooperation in ensuring energy system resilience that benefits all parties.

"We emphasize that the immediate challenges posed by the pandemic have not dampened our determination to advance our efforts by exploring various options and leveraging various technologies and fuels according to the national context to ensure a stable and uninterrupted supply of energy to achieve economic growth," the Joint Communique states.

Meanwhile, in the CCE Platform document, the G20 Energy Ministers agreed that biofuel is one of the important components to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through technology and innovation or reduce elements and neutralize carbon emissions through natural processes and decomposition or recycle elements.

Biofuels together with hydrogen could play a role in accelerating the energy transition to cleaner energy systems and supporting economic growth.

"We also note the cross-sector roles of bio-energy and biofuels among the four elements in the CCE," the Joint Communique of the G20 Energy Ministers states.

The CCE Platform has four elements, namely reduce, which is an effort to reduce GHG emissions by utilizing technology and innovation.

The second element is reuse, namely reusing carbon emissions and making it an industrial raw material. Next is recycling, neutralizing carbon emissions through natural processes and decomposition.

The fourth element is removed, which removes emissions from the atmosphere and heavy industry and facilities through carbon capture and storage.

At the end of the meeting, the G20 Energy Ministers agreed to encourage a transition to clean energy with a wider variety of options, technologies, and fuels under the conditions and situations of each country. (Antaranews)