VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates have finished the third round of Indonesia-United Arab Emirates Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IUAE-CEPA) negotiation. The hybrid negotiation was held in Semarang, Central Java on February 1 until 4 2022.

Director General for International Trade Negotiation at the Trade Ministry, Djatmiko Bris Witjaksono in a statement on Tuesday (8/2) said that both countries shared the same spirit to finish the negotiation before the closing of Expo 2020 Dubai in March 2022. Therefore, both sides kept being pragmatic and flexible to achieve an agreement.

The IUAE-CEPA Negotiation covered various cooperation issues being discussed in ten working groups namely trade in goods, trade in services, rules of origin, customs and trade facility, investment, economic cooperation, intellectual property rights, institutional law and issue, government goods and services procurement, and Islamic economy.

In the negotiation's third round, both agreed on most issues namely customs and trade facility, trade remedies, investment, economic cooperation, intellectual property rights, government goods and services procurement, small and medium business, and Islamic economy. Meanwhile, the other issues will be finished later. The two countries hoped the agreement could be announced and signed by the end of March 2022. Djatmiko Bris Witjaksono further said that if the negotiation can be finished before the target, IUAE-CEPA will be the fastest CEPA finished by Indonesia.

The Cuban Camaguey Angklung Orchestra enlivened photo and batik exhibitions in the commemoration of the 62nd anniversary of diplomatic relations between Indonesia and Cuba. The Indonesian Embassy in Havana in a written statement received in Jakarta, Tuesday (8/2) said the the commemoration of diplomatic relations was organized by the Indonesian Embassy Havana in collaboration with the Instituto Cubano de Amistad con los Pueblos at Friendship House in Havana, Cuba Monday (7/2).

The Camaguey Angklung orchestra performed six songs, namely the national anthem "Indonesia Raya", Cuban national anthem, "Halo-Halo Bandung", "Dari Sabang Sampai Merauke", "Rico Vacilon" and "Besame Mucho".

In her remarks, Indonesian Ambassador to Cuba, Nana Yuliana said that since the commencement of diplomatic relations between Indonesia and Cuba on January 22, 1960, both countries have recorded a number of concrete corporations both bilaterally and multilaterally. In the political field, for example, Indonesia and Cuba have always supported each other, especially on candidacy in various international organizations. In the economic field, even during the Covid-19 pandemic, the trade volume between the two countries also shows a positive trend. In 2021, the trade reached US$12.8 million or around Rp184.2 billion, an increase of 200 percent compared to the previous year. While in the social and cultural spheres, Indonesia is exploring vaccine cooperation and seeking to increase the number of Indonesian students studying medicine in Cuba.

On the same occasion, the President of the Instituto Cubano de Amistad con los Pueblos, Fernando González Llort said that good relations between Indonesia and Cuba began during Che Guevara's visit to Indonesia in 1959 which was reciprocated by President Soekarno's visit to Havana in 1960. He also said that the good relationship between the two countries is also reflected in the sending of humanitarian missions. Cuba sent health workers to Indonesia during the Aceh tsunami disaster in 2004 and the Yogyakarta earthquake in 2006.

Tensions between Russia and Ukraine do not seem to show any signs of subsiding even though Russian President, Vladimir Putin gave assurances to ease the tensions after talks with French President Emmanuel Macron in Moscow, Monday (7/2) local time. The reason is that Russia remains steadfast in its requests to NATO and the Western world. The first request is that Russia has asked NATO to stop "expansion" by including new members. Second, Russia asked NATO troops to withdraw their troops from Eastern Europe. Third, Russia also asked the United States to promise not to back NATO member countries in Eastern Europe with nuclear weapons.

The Western Alliances did not grant Russia's request. The Western Alliances responded to Russia's request with threats of sanctions. German Foreign Minister, Annalena Baerbock on Monday (Feb 8) urged Russia to defuse tensions and warned Russia to face severe political and economic sanctions if it attacks Ukraine.

British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson said sanctions and other measures would be imposed in the event of a Russian attack on Ukraine. The British government will ask parliament to sanction Russian individuals and companies. Amid this threat of sanctions, Russia does not seem to be backing down. Russia has deployed more than 100,000 troops near the Ukrainian border in recent weeks. Recently, Russia has also deployed MiG-31 K fighter jets armed with hypersonic land-attack missiles, Kinzhal in Kaliningrad, Baltic Coast region.

In fact, there is always a solution to resolve the crisis between Russia and Ukraine backed by Western alliances. The threat of sanctions does not solve the current crisis. The diplomatic approach is a way to resolve the crisis or at least avoid the worst. What has been done by French President Emmanuel Macron is one of the diplomatic efforts to prevent heating escalation. Amid rising tensions; Macron flew to Kiev, Ukraine after visiting Moscow on Monday (7/2). In Moscow, he had discussions with President Putin for more than five hours.

According to President Macron, the aim of meeting President Putin is to prevent escalation and to create new perspectives. Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin gave assurances to ease tensions after holding talks with President Emmanuel Macron in Moscow, Monday (7/2) local time. It is hoped that all conflicting parties need to support and continue the diplomatic approach taken by French President Emmanuel Macron. Thus, the worst can be avoided.

If you travel to East Kalimantan, please visit Keraton Trayan Palace which has been designated as a cultural heritage and even it is used as a cultural tourism attraction. The palace is located in Pedalaman Village, Tayan Hilir Subdistrict, Sanggau Regency, West Kalimantan. It is about 94 kilometers from Pontianak City or it can be reached  for approximately 1.5 hours by motor vehicles. This building is a remnant of the Trayan Kingdom. The Tayan Kingdom itself had been known actively from 1683 to 1967, before West Kalimantan was inaugurated as a part of the Republic of Indonesia. In 1967, the Tayan Kingdom was inactive,  and it was left abandoned without a ruling king. Now, it has already been under the control of the Republic of Indonesia.

The Tayan Palace has a two-story stilt building made of ironwood. It is divided into five parts or rooms: the foyer, hall, court room, throne room, and kitchen. Like most palaces in Kalimantan, the Tayan Palace faces the southern part of the Kapuas River. The physical building of the palace is 110 meters long, and 70 meters wide, and it is built on 110 wooden poles which are two meters high. The front porch has 10 glass windows and the entrance on the south side which is in the middle is two glass doors. Meanwhile, the hall itself is an outbuilding which was built in 1931. Previously, the hall was used as a place for the Sultan to receive important guests and royal officials. Another part of this area is the room which is currently used to store royal heirlooms, gamelan, and cannon weaponry.

There is a siding room and it functions as a family meeting room, marriage ceremony room, and a meeting room for royal staff in the middle of the palace building. Moreover, there is also a throne room at the  back of the building that used to serve as the seat of the sultan and the empress. Initially, the floor of this room was higher than the courtroom, but now the floor height is equivalent to the courtroom. The last, the kitchen, which was originally only a connecting alley between the main building and the kitchen, but now it has been used as a place for cooking. Recently, the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing carried out the arrangement of the Tayan Palace area. Besides being a cultural tourism destination, this area can also become a new public open space. The arrangements that have been done are improving the roads in the Tayan Palace area, regional drainage, ramps and Kansteen, regional gates, football fields, recreational parks, the Palace yard and Great Mosque, beautification, and lighting.