Photo credit: kemlu.go.id
The Republic of Indonesia and the Czech Republic through the signing of an official Letter of Intent form a Sister City Cooperation which is full of cultural heritage between the Cities of Yogyakarta and Hluboká nad Vltavou in the South Bohemian Region, Czech Republic.
The Indonesian Embassy in Prague, through its official statement received in Jakarta, Wednesday, said that this cooperation was a historic step in bilateral relations between the two countries.
The signing of the cooperation document was carried out by Acting Mayor of Yogyakarta and the Mayor of Hluboká nad Vltavou who were accompanied by the Indonesian Ambassador to Prague, Mrs. Kenssy D. Ekaningsih and the Ambassador of the Czech Republic in Jakarta, Mr. Jaroslav Doleček and witnessed by relevant officials from the government and the Regional House of Representatives of Yogyakarta City, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Indonesian Embassy in Prague.
This cooperation covers various fields, including tourism promotion, cultural exchanges and performances, development of small and medium enterprises, as well as education and youth. Within the next year, it is hoped that the implementation of this collaboration can be expressed in a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
The two delegations also held coordination meetings with related partners, guided by the Economic and Cooperation Section of the Yogyakarta city government to formulate work plans as a follow-up to the Letter of Intent.
The cities of Yogyakarta and Hluboká nad Vltavou have similarities as world tourist destinations because they host UNESCO World Heritage sites, namely the Yogyakarta Philosophical Axis (The Cosmological Axis of Yogyakarta), Český Krumlov City (Historic Center of Český Krumlov), and Holašovice Village ( Holašovice Historic Village).
The people of both cities equally uphold their cultural heritage, which can be seen from serious efforts to preserve this wealth through various cultural heritage programs, festivals and interactive education for the younger generation.
Mayor of Hluboká, Tomáš Jirsa, who also serves as Senator of the Czech Republic, praised the progress of development in the Yogyakarta area and highlighted the positive things about the involvement of the entire community in the local economy which is based on the tourism sector.
The Indonesian Ambassador to the Czech Republic, Kenssy D. Ekaningsih, who has directly supervised the initiative to establish this cooperation since July 2023, appreciated the enthusiasm and hard work of the delegations from both countries in realizing cooperation between sister cities in a relatively short time.