VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Yogyakarta - Leaders of Political Parties, religious leaders, academics, and policymakers and religions from all over the world who are members of the Centrist Democrat International (CDI) gathered in Yogyakarta to attend the Executive Committee Meeting which takes place from 22 and 25 January 2020. The National Awakening Party (PKB) from Indonesia hosted this meeting. The meeting discussed the opportunities and challenges arising from the rolling process of forming a new world order which is likely to make Eurasia - the integration of Europe and Asia into a "supercontinent" as its focal point. Secretary-General of the Nahdlatul Ulama Council, K.H. Yahya Cholil Staquf said at a CDI meeting Thursday (24/1) that religious values ​​need to be well realized to encourage an international order based on human values.

"We need to articulate the widespread of acknowledgment of universal ethics and humanitarian frameworks and also that we need to empower the potential of religion such as western humanism, Christian democracy, and Islam. We need to empower this to serve as a foundation for the 21st-century alliance to promote a rules-based international order about universal ethics and humanitarian values," he said.

Meanwhile the National Awakening Party Chairman, Muhaimin Iskandar said, the Eurasia Forum was an unprecedented opportunity for world leaders to form 21st century alliances. He said, such an alliance would be realized based on shared human and universal values ​​that underlie their respective religious and cultural traditions. (VOI/FAISAL)

Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, in a Press Conference at the Executive Committee, Centrist Democrat International (CDI) in Jogjakarta on Thursday (23/01) said CDI member countries needed to adopt universal ethics and values. This is to balance competing interests in the domestic and international political arena. According to him to realize these values, it is also necessary to have strong synergy between politicians and policymakers.

"That's why I am here, it was very much educative and interesting for me. I think the world has 2 main questions for the future. One is how the future of Christianity, and how to preserve the Moslem world. In a more philosophical level, it's very important for politicians and decision-makers to understand each other," said Viktor Orban.

According to Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Centrist Democrat International (CDI) also invites people who have good intentions from every religion and nation, as well as political parties and governments around the world, to join this alliance. This is to protect human dignity and foster the emergence of a truly just and harmonious world order, which is founded on the basis of the equal rights and dignity of every human being. (voi / af / edit r)

Speaking at a ‘Meet Bangladesh’ event at the Borobudur Hotel on Thursday, 23 January 2020, Ambassador Azmal Kabir gave a short presentation on the history of Bangladesh and discussed some of the potential investment opportunities that Bangladesh presented for Indonesia. He said Bangladesh has come a long way since gaining independence in 1971 and has grown exponentially in areas such as education industry, financial services industry and telecommunications industry. He called on his Indonesian counterparts to consider Bangladesh as a potential investment partner.

“Now I mention potential sectors of Bangladesh for investment. Those are agribusiness sector, garments and textile sector, ICT sector, leather and leather goods sector, electric sector, plastic sector, live engineering sectors, the building sector, tourism industry, frozen food, renewable energy, economic sector, power sector, medical equipment sector and healthcare sector.”

In 2015, President Joko Widodo and Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had agreed to boost trade ties between the two countries. And as reported by the Jakarta Post in 2018, during President Joko Widodo’s visit to Bangladesh, the two countries signed five agreements. They were on a foreign office consultation, a joint communique on the cooperation to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, a joint ministerial statement on the launch of the negotiations for an Indonesia-Bangladesh Preferential Trade Agreement (IB-PTA), an integrated power project between Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) and state-owned energy firm PT Pertamina and a letter of intent on LNG supply to Petrobangla from Pertamina.

Ambassador Azmal Kabir said the future potentials of Bangladesh is increasing global attention on the country. He urged Indonesians to visit Bangladesh and explore their spending duties on the possibilities and opportunities that Bangladesh can offer. Trade between the two countries amounted to US$1.53 billion as of 2017. (VOI/SAYEE SHREE L.R./AHM)

Director for Bilateral Negotiations, Indonesia’s Ministry of Trade, Ni Made Ayu Marthini, who gave an address at the “Meet Bangladesh” event, spoke of her hopes for the economic futures between the two nations in Jakarta on Thursday (23/01/2020). The event celebrated the newly forming trade agreements between the countries. Ni Made Ayu Marthini emphasised her hopes for free trade and a higher rate of service trades between Bangladesh and Indonesia.   

“And I’m very happy to hear the spirit the Ambassador just now mentioned in Bangladesh. It’s really true. Indonesia’s government today- The same spirit that’s also shown by our presidents opening up competitiveness. How to be competitive? In such a globalised world and competitive world. And we approach our trading partners first. And then one of the first that positively consider our invitation is Bangladesh.”

Made Ayu Marthini acknowledged how Indonesia had previously only looked to countries like the US, Japan, China, and South Korea for trade agreements, but according to President Joko Widodo’s new policies, they would begin to expand to previously untapped sources, namely Africa, South America, and Indonesia’s closer South Asian neighbours like Bangladesh and Pakistan. 

Meanwhile, Bangladesh Ambassador to Indonesia Major General Azmal Kabir said he looked forward to the burgeoning economic partnership with Indonesia, emphasising his interest in Indonesia’s investment opportunities. (VOI/LAURA GREEN/AHM)