VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) arrived in New Zealand on Sunday for a state visit from Australia where he had earlier attended an ASEAN-Australia Special Summit. Deputy for protocol, press and media Bey Machmudin said in a statement President Jokowi and entourage departed from Australia`s Kingsford-Smith International Airport in Sydney at 17.37 hours local time or 13.37 hours West Indonesia Time.

New Zealand`s finance and also sports minister Grant Robertson, Indonesian Ambassador to New Zealand Tantowi Yahya and New Zealand`s Ambassador to Indonesia Trevor Mathedon welcomed their arrival.

President Jokowi and First Lady Iriana immediately proceeded to the hotel in Wellington where they would stay during the visit where hundreds of Indonesian citizens had been there to welcome them. The visit is a state visit to mark the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the two countries` diolomatic relations.

President Jokowi would meet with New Zealand`s prime minister and governor general as well as a number of CEOs in a budiness forum during the visit. On board the flght President Jokowi was accompanied by First Lady Iriana, coordinating minister for security, political and legal affairs Wiranto, minister/state secretary Pratikno, foreign minister Retno Marsudi and head of Capital Investment Coordinating Board Thomas Lembong. ( antara )

 President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) continues to promote the Indo-Pacific concept to the ASEAN member countries and Australia.

"President Jokowi is focusing on the importance of strengthening cooperation in the Indian Ocean based on the strong cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region," Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said in Sydney on Sunday ( 18 March )

Retno said the importance of strong cooperation in the Indian Ocean was in line with the Indo-Pacific concept that Indonesia was developing. The Indonesian foreign minister revealed a number of points of discussion that were delivered by President Jokowi during the retreat of the ASEAN-Australia Summit 2018 on Sunday.

"Indonesia is currently in consultation with many countries including ASEAN to develop a transparent and inclusive Indo-Pacific concept," she said.

Indonesia, she said, emphasized the development of habit of dialogue, habit of cooperation and respect for international law. She said that Indonesia was in consultation with ASEAN and will soon be hosting the "One and Half-Track Diplomacy" discussing the Indo-Pacific concept.

"We have talked to China, Japan, Russia, the United States and to Australia.The point is that what Indonesia is developing with other key players is a concept that puts the habit of dialogue and cooperation. It is not the habit of (unhealthy) competition, which could harm everyone or at least become a zero sum in the end," said Retno.

She said that what have been achieved such as stability, peace and prosperity by Indonesia and ASEAN over the last 50 years can be maintained in the future. 

"At this time, the concept being developed, or being discussed is related to the Indo-Pacific. Indonesia comes up with the concept that is being consulted to the key players so that it can commonly be shared. There should no single country which would feel being left behind Indonesia," said Retno. ( antara )

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has said that the partnership between ASEAN and Australia, including in the trade field, is mutually beneficial.

"ASEAN-Australia partnership should be able to become a model of economic cooperation which is mutually beneficial, a model of partnership that brings goodness to the world," President Jokowi said in his speech during a plenary session of the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit held at the Sydney International Convention Center (ICC),in Sydney, Sunday ( 18 March ).

The ASEAN-Australia economic cooperation also has strategic values, he added. The free trade agreements among the 10 ASEAN member countries, Australia and New Zealand have become the most advanced agreement for ASEAN.

"We have recorded that ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement has an average goods liberalization rate at 93.5 percent," he said.

Therefore, ASEAN-Australia must become a locomotive for free trade system which is open and fair in the region, and the system should be strengthened in wider regions. President Jokowi has urged that negotiations on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP) should be completed this year. The RCEP is a commitment to mutually beneficial multilateral trade system. "Therefore, we must strengthen the commitment to finish the RCEP negotiations in 2018," Jokowi added.

The RCEP could become the world`s largest trade pact, because the RCEP represents nearly half of the world`s population, 31.6 percent of the global GDP, and 28.5 percent of the global trade.

"In future, ASEAN-Australia must continue to become an anchor for a free trade system which is open and fair for the prosperity and welfare of our people in the region," the President noted.

Themed "Enhancing Regional Security and Prosperity", the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit held here, on March 16-19, 2018, discussed issues related to regional security, economic relations as well as counter-terrorism measures so as to further tighten the relationship between Australia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). During the stay in Australia, President Jokowi was flanked by Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Wiranto, Minister/State Secretary Pratikno, Foreign Affairs Minister Retno LP Marsudi, Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita and Chairman of the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) Thomas Lembong.

ASEAN groups Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos. ( antara )

In addition to collaborating with Curtin University in Perth, Australia, Curtin University Malaysia located in Miri, Sarawak, Malaysia is also working with several universities in Indonesia. Cooperation that has been woven by Curtin University Malaysia with several universities in Indonesia one of them is the exchange student cooperation. This was conveyed by one of the lecturers from the Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Science, Curtin University Malaysia, AgusSaptoro on Saturday, March 17, 2018, in Miri, Sarawak.

“If the context is Curtin Malaysian campus, we are with one from Belgium yes, in the meantime. In Indonesia we are with UI, so UI can be two plus two, so two years in UI two years here or three years in UI, one year here. We have agreement, in Indonesia with UI and Polytechnic Caltex, exchange yes, short term or longterm,” AgusSaptoro said.

AgusSaptoro added in addition to the cooperation of student exchange, other cooperation made by Curtin University Malaysia with several state universities in Indonesia is a research cooperation in various fields. He mentioned that besides the University of Indonesia (UI) and Polytechnic Caltex, in Pekanbaru, Riau, another campus that also conducts research cooperation with Curtin University Malaysia is GadjahMada University (UGM), Yogyakarta and National Institute of Technology (Itenas), Bandung, West Java. To fund the research cooperation, according to AgusSaptoro, Curtin University Malaysia and universities from Indonesia have their respective portions, depending on which party initiates the research. (VOI/Rezha/ART)