VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

President Joko Widodo (third from left) along with, among others, Prime Minister Giorgona Meloni of Italy (second from right) and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan (far right) raise their shovels after planting mangrove trees in Ngurah Rai Forest Park (Tahura) on the second day of the G20 Summit in Denpasar, Bali, on Wednesday (16/11/2022). (Photo by: ANTARA FOTO/Media Center G20 Indonesia/Akbar Nugroho Gumay/aww.)

VOINews,Jakarta: Japan and Italy reached an agreement on Friday (14/6) to bolster cooperation in diplomacy, defense, and economic security amidst rising global tensions.

As reported by Antara, The meeting between Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni took place in Fasano, Italy, during the G7 Summit to finalize the action plan, as stated by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The comprehensive agreement encompasses seven key areas, including collaboration in diplomacy, defense, and economic security, underscoring the imperative of enhanced partnership in light of China's military resurgence and Russia's incursion into Ukraine.

Additionally, the cooperation extends to various sectors such as economy, culture, people-to-people exchanges, academia, science and technology, as well as food and agriculture.

The joint effort reflects a shared understanding that security in both Europe and the Indo-Pacific region is interconnected, with a mutual objective of upholding international peace and stability, as mentioned in the official statement.

Japan's constitutional stance against war traditionally imposes limitations on defense exports. Nevertheless, Tokyo has progressively eased these restrictions since 2014, facilitating the conditional development of defense equipment.

Notably, Japan aims to collaborate with the UK and Italy in the joint development of next-generation fighter jets by 2035, marking a significant milestone in collective defense equipment advancement.

Japan's defense partnerships extend to 16 other nations, including Australia, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Sweden, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, the UK, the US, Vietnam, and Ukraine./Antara/VOI

Chef de Mission (CdM) of Team Indonesia for the Paris 2024 Olympics Anindya Bakrie, Vice Chairman of the Indonesian Olympic Committee (KOI/NOC Indonesia) Ismail Ning, Greysia Polii, and participants running at GBK Jakarta, Saturday (June 15, 2024). (Photo by: ANTARA/HO/NOC Indonesia)

VOINews,Jakarta: Chef de Mission (CdM) of Team Indonesia for the Paris 2024 Olympics, Anindya Bakrie, and Vice Chairman of the Indonesian Olympic Committee (KOI/NOC Indonesia), Ismail Ning, have engaged in promoting the spirit of the Paris Olympics with the public through a running event at Gelora Bung Karno in Jakarta on Saturday.

"This is part of our efforts to raise awareness about the upcoming Olympics. We are now just 41 days away from the Olympics, with athletes having already qualified and some still striving. Hopefully, with the prayers and support of the community, they will be more motivated to win medals and proudly sing Indonesia Raya," explained Anindya Bakrie, as quoted in KOI's official statement.

"Today, we ran around GBK to provide information about the Indonesian team that will compete in the Paris Olympics. The highlight will be our NOC Indonesia hosting Olympic Day on June 22 at GBK, inviting the public to engage in sports activities for a Healthy and Champion Indonesia," added Ismail Ning.

Also present at the event was badminton player Greysia Polii, who is also a gold medalist from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

The group started their run from Cafe Zonablu Gofit inside the ring road of the GBK Stadium. Participants ran a distance of 5 kilometers and mingled with the public in the GBK area.

"I'm usually the one doing sports, but this time I ran alongside the CdM and NOC Indonesia as a form of support for Indonesian athletes competing in the Olympics. I pray that they can win gold," said Greysia Polii.

Plans are underway for Zonablu Gofit to become the information center for Team Indonesia at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

At Zonablu, there will be photos of Indonesian athletes who have qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympics. Additionally, the public can show support by signing the wall of fame./Antara/VOI.

A foreign tourist takes a picture of the rice field scenery in Jatiluwih, Tabanan, Bali. The 303-hectare rice field area is one of UNESCO's world cultural heritage sites. (Photo by: ANTARA FOTO/Nyoman Budhiana/ed/pd/pri)

VOINews, Jakarta: Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno has identified Tabanan district in Bali as a strong candidate for inclusion in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network.

As reported by Antara, Tabanan's Subak Jatiluwih, an agricultural area designated as an intangible world cultural heritage site by UNESCO in 2012, significantly boosts its candidacy.

"With its heritage site, Tabanan has tremendous potential. The district can become part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network through the selection process," Uno stated during his visit to Tabanan on Friday.

At a workshop, the minister highlighted Indonesia's success in incorporating Bandung, Jakarta, Ambon, Pekalongan, and Solo into the UNESCO Creative Cities Network.

He noted that these cities were recognized for their achievements in design, music, and art, suggesting that Tabanan could join them with its unique culinary offerings.

"While I initially considered promoting Tabanan's art performances, I was captivated by the local dish sate lilit," Uno mentioned, referring to a traditional satay made by wrapping meat around a skewer. "The district's culinary potential is remarkable."

Uno elaborated that for Tabanan to join the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, the local government must submit a detailed application for the selection process.

"The Tabanan regional secretary assured me that they are prepared to achieve creative city status in line with UNESCO standards by next year," he said.

The minister emphasized the necessity for Tabanan to present its top creative products to meet UNESCO’s criteria and secure its place in the network./Antara/VOI.

Balon udara terlihat di Cappadocia, Nevsehir, Türki pada 5 Mei 2024.  (Photo by: ANTARA/Xinhua/Mustafa Kaya).

VOINews, Jakarta: After experiencing a successful year in 2023, Turkey is ambitious to become one of the top three tourist destinations in the world by 2028.

As reported by Antara, The Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, stated that "Turkey aims to attract 80 million international tourists per year over the next four years. Currently, Turkey ranks fourth,".

This ambitious plan is crucial for Turkey's economy, which heavily relies on tourism revenue. Every year, millions of international tourists provide significant income for the country amid challenging economic conditions.

Kaan Sahinalp, Turkey's representative for the German travel company TUI, stated that "although this target is achievable, there is still much work to be done." According to him, Turkey needs to diversify its tourism promotions by showcasing its cultural and gastronomic richness in addition to beach tourism.

Stakeholders from both the government and private sectors in Turkey must collaborate to achieve the 2028 tourism target. Kaan Sahinalp emphasized the importance of improving pricing policies due to intense competition in the Mediterranean. Sustainability is also crucial, and Murat Toktas from the Turkish Federation of Hotel Owners suggested focusing on the luxury travel industry to boost revenue.

In 2023, Turkey's tourism sector recorded a milestone of 49.2 million international tourist visits, generating over 54 billion USD. The government expects this year's visits to reach 60 million with revenue of 60 billion USD, and targets 80 million visits and 100 billion USD in revenue by 2028.

However, significant price increases at Turkish resorts have attracted negative attention. Sahinalp warned that excessive price hikes could harm the tourism sector. Toktas added that attracting wealthy tourists to destinations such as Antalya and Bodrum, as well as diversifying markets to Southeast Asia, is essential for ensuring sustainable growth.

Toktas is optimistic that if conditions remain stable, Turkey is on the right track to achieve its goal of becoming one of the top three tourist destinations in the world by 2028.//Antara/VOI