VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Until now, a civil conflictin Sudan has been going on between the Sudanese military and the Rapid Support Forces militia since April 2023. This affects the activities of various sectors in Sudan, including the activities of the Indonesian Embassy in Khartoum which has now been evacuated to the Port in Sudan.

Indonesian Ambassador to Sudan, Sunarko, said that the conflict impacts the relations between Indonesia and Sudan. In an interview with RRI Voice of Indonesia published on Tuesday (6/2), Ambassador Sunarko said that the situation in Sudan is an opportunity for Indonesia to show support for Sudan in improving relations between the two countries.

“...The armed conflict that occurred on April 15^th and is currently still ongoing certainly has had a huge impact and is a challenge itself for efforts to improve relations and cooperation between Indonesia and Sudan. However, even with the current situation, this is our great opportunity, our effort to show solidarity, show support, and show concern in the context of Indonesia-Sudan relations.”

Ambassador Sunarko further explained that so far, Sudan has demonstrated good relations with Indonesia. One of them is Sudan's support for Indonesia in various international forums, including Indonesia's candidacy or chairmanship in theforums.

Indonesia and Sudan have established good relations in various fields; one of which is education. Sudan has accepted around 900 Indonesian citizens to become university students in the country. Ambassador Sunarko also remarked that since the conflict broke out, majority of the students were forced to return to Indonesia and study online. He added that Indonesia views Sudan as an important partner. Therefore, in the field of education, Sudan receives quite a lot of support from Indonesia.One of them was when nine Sudanese students started studying in Indonesia last year through the Darmasiswa scholarship from the Indonesian government. Besides, there are also Sudanese students studying in Indonesia through other scholarships. Most of them take management, information technology, and architecture studies.

Ambassador Sunarko also pointed out that cooperation is also being carried out by sending Sudanese teachers to Indonesia. He said, this year, the Indonesian Embassy to Sudan is trying to get more Sudanese students to study in Indonesia.

“...This year, we are also trying to get more support, considering that the opportunity for Sudanese students to study in Indonesia is very high, especially because the conflict situation has not allowed them to continue their studies. So, this is a good momentum, the right momentum, for the Indonesian government to increase the number of Sudanese students who will get accepted for scholarships in Indonesia, both in the Darmasiswa program and in the cooperation programs of developing countries.”

In the trade sector, the trade volume between Indonesia and Sudan was recorded at US$143.4 million. Ambassador Sunarko revealed that Sudanese importers had started to look at Indonesia, as evidenced by the arrival of 22 Sudanese businesspeople to see Indonesia's export potential. He said that Indonesian products that had been developed in Sudan included vehicle accessories, sanitation products, textiles, and medicines.

Furthermore, Ambassador Sunarko remarked that the Indonesian government continues to encourage the expansion of cooperation to African countries, mainly Sudan. Therefore, Indonesia is trying to get the two countries to agree on a preferential trade agreement (PTA) so that the trade volume between the two countries continues to increase. 

Bangka Belitung Province is famous for its beautiful and attractive beach destinations; one of which is Tanjung Tinggi. Tanjung Tinggi is a beach flanked by two peninsulas, namely Tanjung Kelayang and Tanjung Pendam. The name Tanjung Tinggi is taken from the words "Tanjung" which means peninsula and "Tinggi" which represents high rocks around the beach. This beach can be reached 15 minutes by motor vehicles from Tanjung Pandan City.

Tanjung Tinggi beach has an area of 80 hectares. White sand, and hundreds of large granite rocks are scattering on both peninsulas, and also in the sea in front of the beach. Granite sizes range from several cubic meters to hundreds of cubic meters larger than a house, making it a leading tourism spot on Belitung Island. The distribution of granite rocks of various sizes is a unique beauty phenomenon for visitors to this beach. There are several beautiful places to take photos around the beach.

Tanjung Tinggi is also called ‘Bilik Harbor’. Previously, this place was a fishing port for the nearby villages of Keciput or Tanjung Tinggi. There is no need to worry about shark attacks, because the attacks never happen on Belitung beaches. The only thing you have to watch out is the existence of jellyfish, especially the big ones. Other facilities at Tanjung Tinggi Beach are quite adequate. Because around the beach, there is a hotel for those of you who want to stay overnight. For meals and drinks, there are also food stalls available around the Beach.

Chinese Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nong Rong and Director General of Asia-Pacific and Africa of the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abdul Kadir Jailani met in Xiamen, Fujian province to hold the 15th China-Indonesia Diplomatic Consultation.

On the website of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it is stated that the meeting took place on Saturday (3/2). Nong Rong, in a statement accessed by Antara from Beijing, Sunday, said that President Xi Jinping met twice with President Joko Widodo last year, leading comprehensive strategic cooperation between the two countries to a new level and making progress in building a community that has a shared future becomes a real project.

President Joko Widodo and Chinese President Xi Jingping met on 27-28 July 2023 in Chengdu, Sichuan province and on 17-18 October 2023 in Beijing at the Belt and Road Forum (BRF) Summit.

Nong Rong added that both leaders had witnessed improved political and security cooperation mechanisms, more active people-to-people exchanges and dialogue, as well as closer coordination and cooperation in international and regional affairs.

During the meeting, Nong Rong gave an introduction to the guiding principles of the Central Conference on Foreign-Related Work, and said that building a community of shared future for the people is the highest goal pursued by the Chinese government in conducting diplomacy as a major country with Chinese characteristics in the new era.

In 2024, China is ready to work with Indonesia to follow the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, advance the building of a Sino-Indonesian community with a shared future at high-level talks and set an example for developing countries.

Solidarity and cooperation for development were also discussed in order to provide more benefits for both nations and provide a strong impetus for prosperity and stability at regional and global levels.

Meanwhile, the ministry's Director General of Asia-Pacific and Africa Abdul Kadir Jailani, positively assessed the progress achieved in implementing the action plan to strengthen the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.

According to Abdul Kadir, Indonesia attaches great importance to relations with China, and is ready to work with that country to implement the mutual agreements and understandings reached between the two heads of state.

Indonesia also agreed to intensify high-level dialogue, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields and encourage new and greater development in Indonesia and China's comprehensive strategic partnership. Indonesia, said Abdul Kadir, reaffirmed its commitment to the "one China" policy. Both sides also exchanged views on international and regional issues of mutual interest and concern, and agreed to deepen regional multilateral cooperation and safeguard common interests.