Streaming
Program Highlight
Company Profile
May
Indonesia-Turkey Commitment to Accelerate CEPA Completion
Written by Ranov/Andy Romdoni
VOInews, Jakarta: Indonesia and Turkey are committed to accelerating the completion of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) discussions. Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said Indonesia and Turkeyye also welcomed the plan to hold the 5th CEPA negotiations this year.
"We believe that the finalization of CEPA will be a game changer and increase our bilateral trade and investment," Retno said after meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan as quoted from an official statement received by Indonesia Window here on Wednesday (2/5/2024).
Indonesia and Turkeyye also agreed to hold a 2+2 (two plus two) meeting, which is a meeting of the Foreign and Defense Ministers of the two countries. This meeting was held to increase cooperation between the two in the field of defense.
"We agreed to hold a 2+2 meeting and we welcome the ongoing military and defense dialogue. We also welcome strategic cooperation in the development of the defense industry," Retno said.
In this regard, Retno said that Indonesia-Turkiye are conducting joint production and marketing of Medium Weight Tanks (MWT). In addition, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said Indonesia-Turkiye are committed to continuing cooperation in combating transnational crimes.
"We welcome the signing of the Security Cooperation Agreement as an umbrella of cooperation and hope that the MoU on countering terrorism and combating transnational crimes can be finalized soon," she explained.
The two countries also foster strategic cooperation in development cooperation and joint projects for countries in the South. For Türkiye, Indonesia is one of the first partners in the Asia Pacific region to establish the High Level Strategic Cooperation Council (HLSC) mechanism which was inaugurated in 2022 in Bali.
"Today, we also discussed preparations for the first meeting of the HLSC early next year, especially regarding potential concrete outcomes. We assigned our officials to further identify and accelerate the conclusion of potential agreements and outcomes for the successful organization of the first Indonesia-Turkey HLSC," Retno explained.
May
Meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi Discusses Palestinian Issues
Written by Ranov/Tono
VOInews, Jakarta: Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in a diplomatic meeting on Wednesday (1/5) in Ankara, Turkey, discussed global issues related to the Middle East issue.
"Our discussion today also highlighted the important role of Southern countries as liaisons and agenda-setters in various multilateral forums and as advocates for fair and civilized global governance," Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said in a statement received on Wednesday evening (1/5).
Minister Retno also said that Indonesia and Türkiye are two developing countries with a large number of Muslims that have a strategic influence on the region.
"Indonesia and Türkiye are two leading developing countries with large Muslim populations and strategic influence in our respective regions, we are fellow members of the G20, OIC, and MIKTA," Retno said.
He also appreciated Turkey for supporting Indonesia's candidacy as G20 President in 2022.
In addition, Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi said that the meeting also discussed the Palestinian issue. She said Turkey and Indonesia have the same position on Palestine, which is that they want the Palestinian people to get justice and independence.
"Indonesia's position is very clear. We want to always defend humanity and justice for Palestine, for the Palestinian people," she said.
Minister Retno Marsudi emphasized that Indonesia wants an immediate and sustainable ceasefire. So that it can launch the distribution of humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza.
"What Indonesia wants to see is an immediate and lasting ceasefire, unimpeded and sustainable humanitarian assistance, a credible peace process towards a two-state solution and full Palestinian membership in the UN," she said.
Retno revealed that in February 2024, she had delivered an oral statement before the International Court of Justice as another effort to support Palestine.
"Indonesia will use all possible avenues to support Palestine," Retno said.
Retno said Indonesia hopes to utilize Indonesia's strategic influence to contribute to the welfare of the Indonesian people for the welfare of the world, and also for the wider community.
May
KSP Hopes that National Education Day Will be a Momentum to Accelerate Teacher Certification
Written by ranov
VOInews, Jakarta: Deputy II Chief of Presidential Staff Abetnego Tarigan hopes that the commemoration of the 65th National Education Day (Hardiknas), which falls on May 2 2024, will provide momentum in accelerating teacher certification.
According to Abetnego, teacher certification is an effort to meet the guaranteed needs for teachers who play a strategic role in creating an inclusive and safe learning ecosystem.
"Accelerating teacher certification is a necessity so that teachers earn income above minimum living requirements and social welfare guarantees," said Abetnego in a statement received in Jakarta, Thursday.
Abetnego explained that currently, of the 3 million teachers in Indonesia, only 1.34 million teachers have been certified or around 44.9 percent.
If teachers' income is obtained from salaries and professional allowances based on certification, this means that there are still more than one million teachers who are not prosperous.
Apart from that, many teachers still have to find additional income to meet their living needs, and quite a few are even caught in illegal online loans (pinjol).
"There should be no more stories of teachers having to work as farm laborers or goods couriers after school hours are over, or even stories of teachers being caught in debt," he said.
Abetnego said that the Presidential Staff Office supports the efforts of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology (Kemdikbudristek) which is preparing a new scheme to accelerate teacher certification.
With this new scheme, there are several adjustments for teachers and prospective teachers who take Teacher Professional Education (PPG), especially in the recruitment, learning and selection processes.
In the recruitment process, continued Abetnego, the government updated in-service teacher data (daljab) which contained teachers' education and teaching experience more accurately.
Meanwhile, in learning, there will be adjustments related to "hybrid" or mixed implementation, travel time and credit units for teachers with certain conditions.
"In the admission selection there are also adjustments that make it easier for daljab (in-service) teachers to take competency tests conducted by the Ministry of Education and Culture," added Abetnego.
He believes that the changes to the PPG scheme, which are currently being discussed in the Minister of Education and Culture's Draft Regulation, will be a leap in breaking down the deadlock in the implementation of certification as mandated by Law (UU) No. 14 of 2005 concerning Teachers and Lecturers.
With this new scheme, KSP hopes that the target of at least 800,000 certified teachers can be achieved this year as an effort to improve quality education.
Source: Antaranews
May
VOInews, Jakarta: US top diplomat Antony Blinken urged Hamas on Wednesday to accept a Gaza truce plan despite an Israeli warning that the army will keep fighting the Palestinian militant group after any ceasefire.
"Hamas needs to say yes and needs to get this done," said Blinken, who was in Israel on his seventh Middle East crisis tour since the war broke out in October.
He later added: "If Hamas actually purports to care about the Palestinian people and wants to see an immediate alleviation of their suffering, it should take this deal."
Blinken spoke after visiting the Nir Oz kibbutz, which Hamas attacked on October 7, as well as Israel's Kerem Shalom border crossing with Gaza and Ashdod port, which Israel says will be used for aid shipments.
A Hamas official said the Islamist group would respond "within a very short period" to a plan proposed by mediators to halt the fighting for 40 days and to exchange dozens of hostages for many more Palestinian prisoners.
But the group's aim remains an "end to this war", senior Hamas official Suhail al-Hindi told AFP -- a goal at odds with the stated position of Israel's hawkish Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The premier on Tuesday repeated his vow to send Israeli ground forces into Gaza's far-southern city of Rafah, despite major concerns over the fate of some 1.5 million civilians sheltering there.
"We will enter Rafah and we will eliminate the Hamas battalions there with or without a deal," Netanyahu told a group representing families of remaining hostages in Gaza.
UN chief Antonio Guterres warned that an Israeli assault on Rafah would "be an unbearable escalation, killing thousands more civilians and forcing hundreds of thousands to flee".
Netanyahu made his threat shortly before the arrival of Blinken and at a time of tensions between the traditional allies as the Gaza war has sparked global anger and weeks of pro-Palestinian demonstrations on US university campuses.
Blinken said Wednesday that he again made clear to Israeli leaders Washington's opposition to a major attack on Rafah.
"There are other ways -- and in our judgement, better ways -- of dealing with the real ongoing challenge of Hamas that does not require a major military operation" in Rafah, Blinken told reporters.
Source: AFP