The Indonesian Embassy in Beirut has acknowledged its continued support for trade cooperation improvement between Indonesia and Lebanon. Indonesian Ambassador to Lebanon Hajriyanto Y Thohari gave the Primaduta Award to Lebanese businessman and importer, George R Fattouh. The award was given for his service in helping market Indonesian products in Paris from the Middle East. The award was given at a ceremony at the Indonesian Embassy in Beirut, Thursday (11/1) Fatough, is the owner of George R. Fattouh S.A.L, a business that has been importing Indonesian products since the 1980s. It has a range of products, including: palm oil and its derivatives, oil and fats (including cocoa butter substitute, fat spread, hydrogenated palm kernel oil, and lauric confectionery fats), cardboard, stationary, and school equipment. Some Indonesian products are now even available at famous retail networks, such as Spinney’s and Carrefour. In 2022, the value imported by George R. Fattough S.A.L of Indonesian products, was 981.3 million USD. This was a 149.5 million USD increase when compared to 2021. Fattouh said Indonesian products are known for their quality and are in high demand in Lebanese markets. However, he said, the challenge now is increasing freight costs due to security challenges in the region.
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Listeners, a number of delicious dishes were served to the guests of Dhaup Ageng Pura Pakualaman Yogyakarta, at the wedding reception of the youngest son of K.G.P.A.A. Paku Alam X, namely B.P.H. Kusumo Kuntonugroho with Laily Annisa Kusumastuti which was held on January 10, 2024.Head of the Customs and Accommodation Division, Dhaup Ageng Pura Pakualaman, KRT Radyo Wisroyo said that the menu served to guests was quite varied. These menus are typical menus prepared by Pakualaman Pura, Indonesian menus and western food menus were also available. All invited guests including VIP and VVIP guests got the same menu. The first menu served to welcome guests, namely two types of welcome drink, namely lime lemongrass and ginger drink with lime. The welcome drink was given when guests sat down and watched the Bedhaya Sidamukti and Bedhaya Kakung Indrawidagda dance performances. Next, they gotsnacks for appetizer such as croquettes and other light snacks. There is a snack that is considered quite special and rare called Garulina. Garulina was the opening snack at the Pahargyan Dhaup Ageng Pakualaman lunch on the first day. Garulina has been around since the era before Indonesian independence. Garulina is actually not a typical Central Javanese food. It looks like the Lapis Legit layered cake, but there is something different, because there is a special layer like vla which is made from fresh milk, eggs and sugar. To get this sweet snack, Pakulaman Temple has to place a special order from the third generation of makers who have been pioneering since the 1950s. In Jogja, Garulina is very difficult to find and is considered rare because it is not sold every day.
ViewAmbassador Andri Hadi hands over Letters of Credentials to the King of Belgium, Philippe
Indonesian Ambassador to Belgium Andri Hadi handed over letters of credentials to King of Belgium, Philippe in Brussels on Wednesday (13/1) by following the health protocols to prevent the transmission of Covid-19. While meeting the King, Ambassador Andri conveyed the respectful greetings of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) to King Philippe, who had met during the visit of the Indonesian President to Belgium in 2016. The meeting at that time was impressed for President Joko Widodo. Therefore, he invited King Philippe to visit Indonesia, if the Covid-19 pandemic condition has been better.
In a statement of the Indonesian Embassy in Brussels on Thursday (14/1), Ambassador Andri stated that as a country with a population of around 270 million, Indonesia faces several challenges in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic. However, with the vaccine, it is expected that Indonesia will be able to manage the Covid-19 pandemic. To King Philippe, Ambassador Andri also informed that Indonesia has started a Covid-19 vaccination program, with the first injection given to President Joko Widodo on Wednesday (13/1).
King Philippe expressed his condolences and sympathy of the government and the people of Belgium for the Sriwijaya airplane accident that occurred last week. In a response to the statement, Ambassador Andri explained that the plane's black box had been found for further investigation to find out the cause of the accident. Moreover, Ambassador Andri also conveyed several bilateral issues, such as cooperation in countering terrorism and palm oil.
To King Philippe, Ambassador Andri explained that Indonesian palm oil is a sustainable palm oil product which is strictly regulated and has both national (ISPO) and international (RSPO) certification. King Philippe and Ambassador Andri Hadi agreed for the need of an immediate settlement of Agreement negotiations namely Indonesia-European Union (I-EU CEPA) Comprehensive Economic Partnership in order to optimize the huge potential of both countries.
During the 30-minute meeting, Ambassador Andri Hadi provided an interesting book on the history of Indonesia's independence struggle entitled "Revolusi" which was written by a historian who is also a leading archaeologist in Belgium, David Van Reybrouck. King Philippe appreciated for giving of the book. Moreover, Ambassador Andri Hadi arrived in Belgium on November 11, 2020. Besides serving as the Indonesian Ambassador to Belgium, Ambassador Andri is also entrusted to be Indonesian Ambassador to Luxembourg, the European Union and the World Customs Organization.
Covid-19 Pandemic changes the order of people's lives, including in the world of education. Online education services are in demand during the corona pandemic. Earlier this year, two Indonesian edutech startups also won funding. Indonesian education startups: Titik Pintar and Zenius received fresh funds in early 2021. Titik Pintar obtained investment from the Indonesia Women Empowerment Fund (IWEF), while funding to Zenius was led by OpenSpace Ventures and Alpha JWC Ventures. This is the first time for Titik Pintar to obtain institutional investment from IWEF. Previously, this startup received grants from the Dutch government, as well as investments from individual investors in Indonesia and abroad.
Titik Pintar provides an EduTainment ecosystem, including customized self-learning services and remote micro lessons from teachers. The material is in Indonesian and English. Lessons and videos are made directly by the teacher on the SahabatPintar.id website. Thereby, teachers can get additional income. Meanwhile, children and parents can independently organize the learning experience and content needed. Currently, Titik Pintar has more than 15 thousand users.
Another educational startup, Zenius also received funding from OpenSpace Ventures and Alpha JWC Ventures. The fresh funds will be used to develop services and applications. Online learning services like Zenius are in demand during the corona pandemic. This has driven the company's revenue to grow 70% year on year / yoy more during the second semester of 2020. The number of users also grew more than 10 times during March to December 2020. Meanwhile, the average number of users in each class is 400 students.
Gulf Cooperation Council Summit in Al-Ula, Saudi Arabia - anha
Deputy Chairperson of Indonesian People's Consultative Assembly -MPR RI, Hidayat Nurwahid welcomed the success of Gulf Cooperation Council Summit in Al-Ula, Saudi Arabia recently. In a statement last Thursday (7/1), he welcomed the normalisation in the Gulf as well as diplomatic reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and other member countries, especially with Qatar.
Hidayat Nurwahid affirmed that the people of Indonesia keep hoping that the Gulf will be stable, secure, and sovereign. Also, Indonesia hopes the relations among Gulf countries to stay stable.
Furthermore, Hidayat Nurwahid also appreciated the attitude of GCC Countries that consistently support Palestine while recognizing and fighting for Palestine as an independent country. He hopes that Indonesia can do more comprehensive cooperation with Gulf countries in protecting Palestine's independence and fighting Israel's crimes against international laws and norms.
Indonesian Ambassador to Cuba met with deputy foreign minister of Cuba in Havana - Kbri Havana
Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to Cuba, Nana Yuliana met Cuban Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Anayansi Rodriquez to hand over a copy of the Indonesian President's Credential Letter to the President of the Republic of Cuba, Diaz Canel Bermudez Monday (4/1). As quoted on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website go.id (07/1), Ambassador Nana Yuliana expressed her appreciation for the scholarship assistance that the Cuban government has given to nine Indonesian students to study at Escuela Latinoamericana de Medicina (ELAM). Two of these students have now completed their education and they are in Indonesia. Deputy Minister Anayansi promised that Cuba would keep providing medical scholarships for Indonesian students.
Ambassador Nana conveyed the opportunities and potential for cooperation between Indonesia and Cuba in several fields to continue to be improved in 2021. She also remarked that economic diplomacy, health and sports are the priorities of the Indonesian Embassy in Havana in the future.
In addition, Deputy Minister Anayansi welcomed the presence of Ambassador Nana as the first female Indonesian Ambassador to Cuba and further increased the role of women in international diplomacy. The Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs is committed to finalizing the draft diplomatic and official visa-free agreement in 2021. Meanwhile, Indonesia offers capacity building in the agriculture and fisheries sector to increase Cuban Human Resources in this sector. Ambassador Nana Yuliana further stated that with the condition of Covid-19, this did not close the opportunity for training and education that could be carried out through virtual media. In the fields of economy, investment and trade, Deputy Minister Anayansi welcomed the Indonesian Ambassador's program plan to increase cooperation in the fields of education, trade, health, sports and biopharmaceuticals that need to be improved. In addition, Cuba and Indonesia have geographical similarities which could provide opportunities for cooperation in agriculture, aquamarine, and many others.
To strengthen the Brotherhood, the Indonesian Embassy in Phnom Penh Holds Basic Training on Tilawatil Quran.
The Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Phnom Penh, Vietnam conducted training in the basics of Tajweed and recitation for a number of Muslims in Cambodia. The Tilawatil Quran training was conducted 4 times and held every two weeks, starting at the end of November 2020 and finishing in early January 2021. The trainers are from the Indonesian Embassy.
In a statement issued on January 7, the Indonesian Embassy in Phnom Penh said that this activity aimed at strengthening brotherhood with Cambodia. The training is also an important means of Indonesia's socio-cultural diplomacy efforts as well as a promotion of moderate and progressive Islam in Indonesia. This cannot be separated from Cambodian Muslims who view Indonesia as an older brother who has a lot of experience, especially in the field of Quran recitation.
Remembering that the medium of communication which was used during the training is Indonesian language, the Tilawatil Quran training is also an effective means of expanding the learning and use of Indonesian language in Cambodia.
Endek Balinese fabrics are increasingly worldwide. This fabric is one of the raw materials for the design of the spring / summer 2021 collection of the famous French fashion house, Christian Dior Couture. A signing of the Letter of Intent between the Bali Provincial Government and Christian Dior Couture took place on Friday (8/1). This was conducted virtually by Governor of Bali, Wayan Koster representing the Bali Provincial Government and Marie Champey representing Christian Dior.
The signing of the collaboration to promote traditional Balinese cultural expressions stems from the wishes of Christian Dior, who is a world-class fashion house, by sending a letter to the Indonesian Ambassador to France, Arrmanatha Christiawan Nasir last year. The letter is about the desire to use Endek Bali fabrics as a fashion trend for spring / summer 2021.
The Indonesian citizen community (WNI) in South Korea and the Indonesian Embassy in Seoul discussed the inauguration of the Indonesian Community Organization Communication Forum (Forkomasi) last weekend (02/1) to accommodate many organizations and activities of Indonesian citizens in South Korea. The information was conveyed by the Indonesian Embassy ( KBRI) Seoul through a written statement received by Antara News Agency in Jakarta on Sunday (03/1). The inauguration of the communication forum is one of the interfaith prayer agenda (Istighosah) held by the Indonesian citizen community in South Korea along with the Indonesian Embassy in Seoul.
The activity was attended by Indonesian Minister of Religious Affairs, Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, Indonesian Ambassador to South Korea, Umar Hadi, representatives from 59 Indonesian mosques in South Korea, 21 Indonesian churches, 30 associations from many regions and other Indonesian citizens who live and work in South Korea. Through an official statement, the Indonesian Embassy in Seoul stated that the istighosah activity was closed with an interfaith workshop which discussed the inauguration of the Forkomasi.
This inauguration of Forkomasi along with the Indonesian Embassy in Seoul will protect the movement of the Indonesian people in South Korea, and work together to deal with some social difficulties of Indonesian citizens who stay in South Korea. Based on the data of the Indonesian Embassy in Seoul, there were around 37,000 Indonesian citizens in South Korea in March 2020; they consist of migrant workers, ship crew, students/university students and international marriage partners.
Based on the data of Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs which refers to the records of the Indonesian Embassy in Seoul as of February 28, 2019, there were 28,167 Indonesian migrant workers and 5,379 Indonesian crew members who stay in South Korea. From the same note, there are around 90 Indonesian community organizations in South Korea,namely the Indonesian Muslim Community (KMI) which accomodates approximately 57 mosques and Musholla (prayer rooms), the Indonesian Church Association in Korea (PGIK) which accomodates 18 churches, the Indonesian Community Center (ICC), 32 regional associations; Daegu Indonesian Community Communication Forum (FKMID), Pumita Busan, Ajoy Jeju, the Association of Indonesian Students in Korea (Perpika), the Indonesian Muslim Society in Korea (Imuska), UT Korea, PCI-NU PCI Muhammadiyah and other communities. Ambassador Umar Hadi stated that the Indonesian citizen community in South Korea has a solid and strong brotherhood bond. He also emphasized that solidarity among Indonesian citizens must be strengthened because there will still be many challenges and difficulties to be faced in 2021.
Sea water pollution is a problem around the world, including in Indonesia. Plastic waste that has accumulated has brought about a negative impact on the tourism sector. The accumulation of garbage and heavy metals in coastal areas has resulted in a decrease in the quality of marine life. Through the problem, two students of the Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Affairs (FPK) Universitas Airlangga, namely Yolandha Sepiani Nurhanifah and Reza Istiqomatul Hidayah created innovation of a Sea Cleanliness Detection Tool based on the Internet of Things (IoT) and Automatic Alarms as Controllers of Water Environment Sustainability, abbreviated as ATLANTIS.
The ATLANTIS concept relies on the internet. The way it works is to use a digital camera to visualize the state of the sea, then records and sends a signal to the microcontroller which is connected to the display on the LCD screen. This camera is connected to a computer to detect plastic and heavy metal waste contained in the water.
Simultaneously, when the LCD screen displays data on sea water conditions, there is an automatic alarm that will sound and light up according to the level. Green alarms indicate normal water conditions, yellow for alert and red for hazards. The alarm will sound every 30 days to monitor the conditions of sea waters. This innovative idea succeeded in winning first place in the National Level for the Product Innovation Competition Category for the 2020 Student Innovation and Creativity Festival at Khairun Ternate University.
New Consular Counter in the New Year 2021 - KBRI New Delhi
Indonesian Embassy in New Delhi, India officially opened a new consular service counter at the Indonesian Embassy in New Delhi (04/01). The counter is made to be more comfortable for service users, with representative waiting rooms, both indoors and outdoors. The construction of this new counter is also very concerned about the security aspect, equipped with a two-layer gate, special guard posts, metal detectors, and lockers for storing goods. This counter is also ready to operate by applying the health protocols. This counter provides consular and immigration services, including document attestation services, which have recently increased in frequency along with the improvement of bilateral relations between Indonesia and India.
Indonesian Ambassador to India, Arto Suryodipuro emphasized that improving the physical quality of this consular service facility is only one aspect besides the non-physical aspect which is even more important, namely improving the service system and professionalism of officers and officials concerned in providing services.
These two aspects, according to Ambassador Arto Suryodipuro, must be continuously improved and they provide excellent quality public services. This effort will ultimately support the enhancement of Indonesia's positive image in the eyes of the local community and also gives pride, especially for the Indonesian people in India.
Cleanup at Kuta Beach - swa
People around Kuta Beach, Bali started 2021 by cleaning up the beach. The cleanup which was done on Friday, January 1 also involved the Indonesian military (TNI) and police (Polri), scout (Pramuka) members and the state agency apparatuses. Three heavy equipment were used to ease the transport of garbage which included not only plastics, but also woods and bamboos.
The collected garbage reached 30 tons. Territorial Assistant Chief of Staff Military Command Kodam IX/Udayana Colonel Infantry Made Mahaparta said in the cleanup at Kuta Beach that 70 percent of the garbage is plastics.
Head of Environment and Cleanliness Service of Badung Regency, I Wayan Puja said the piling garbage at Kuta Beach is an annual issue. Plastic waste and other marine debris washes onto Kuta Beach every year in the rainy season. According to Wayan Puja, this year big woods waste starts to decrease. It is mostly plastic waste. It means that the garbage comes from the residential waste that fails to be handled properly.
Wayan Puja explained that in the rainy season, garbage from residence and other areas is swept by the river flow entering Kuta Beach, scattering along the 15-km-long coastal line.
Meanwhile, Denpasar Naval Base Commander Colonel Ketut Budiantara said the cleanup had to start from all people. He encouraged the locals and tourists to keep the cleanliness of the beach and put garbage properly when having recreation in the beach.
According to Budiantara, besides spoiling the beauty, garbage can harm ecosystem in the beach. If the garbage from the seashore enters the area near the dock, ship traffic may be disturbed.
Indonesian Embassy in Beijing opens Indonesian language class for special interest
The Indonesian Embassy in Beijing, China has opened online Indonesian language classes, particularly for business, correspondence and translation. The Education and Cultural Attaché of the Indonesian Embassy in Beijing, Yaya Sutarya stated on Monday (04/1) that the registration will be opened in the fourth week of January 2021. As Javanese and Sundanese language classes were opened in 2020, the special interest for Indonesian language is also for students or university students majoring in Indonesian language in China.
Yaya Sutarya further explained that each special interest program will be opened for three classes. So, there are nine classes for business, correspondence and translation and each class consists of only for 20 people. Moreover, he also noted that there are requirements for this special interest program. The requirements are that all participants must pass level IV of Indonesian Language for Foreign Speakers (BIPA). For business programs, one package is for 150 hours, correspondence for 120 hours, and translation for 150 hours. Therefore, the special interest language class will be held for 9 and half months starting from January. This program is free of charger which is aimed at strengthening Indonesian diplomacy in China.
The Indonesian Embassy in Beijing collaborates with the Language Development Agency of the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Indonesia and Yogyakarta State University in implementing the program. Yaya Sutarya hopes that this activity will be a stimulus for several Chinese universities which have Indonesian language departments to hold the special programs. The opening of interest classes is due to the high interest of students of Indonesian language in China to join online classes in Javanese and Sundanese traditional languages at the end of 2020.