VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The Nielsen research institute stated that Indonesia is the third-most optimistic nation in the world in the second quarter (Q2) of 2019.

"Indonesia's consumer confidence index is relatively stable at 126 pp (percentage point) in the second quarter of 2019. Indonesian consumers are the third most optimistic in the world, preceded by India, (138 pp), and the Philippines (126 pp)," Managing Director of Nielsen Indonesia Agus Nurudin stated here on Wednesday.

Nurudin noted that the index was influenced by three indicators in the next 12 months, including consumer perceptions of job prospects.

"The index declined to 70 percent in the second quarter, from 72 percent in the previous period this year, which is relatively stable," he expounded.

During the same period, the consumer perception index over financial security also plunged to 80 percent, from 83 percent.

Spending optimism, the last indicator, increased to 61 percent compared to only 56 percent in the first quarter of 2019.

"With the stable index, it shows that the community is relatively calm, especially in terms of political stability. Levels for 'spending' are rising, so activity is fine," he affirmed.

He pointed to consumers in the Asia-Pacific region also remaining optimistic, with China, India, and Indonesia functioning as the main pillars of the Global Confidence Index, while Japan and Korea saw confidence move in opposite directions.

Nevertheless, Nurudin stated that despite the Indonesian consumer confidence index being stable, concerns rode high over the condition of Indonesia’s economy. It was noted that consumer concerns over the economic situation rose quite sharply to 37 percent during the Q2 of 2019 than 31 percent in the previous quarter of the same year.

"In the second quarter of 2019, increasingly more number of Indonesian consumers are concerned about economic conditions. It seems that this is the impact of the election, where consumers still sense that the post-election economic situation remains uncertain," he added (ANTARA)

Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno L. P. Marsudi held a bilateral meeting with Vietnam Foreign Minister/Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh on margins of the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting and ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference, Bangkok, Thailand, July 30.

The two foreign ministers deliberated on steps to resolve maritime boundary negotiations, particularly the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) between Indonesia and Vietnam.

During the meeting in Bangkok, a technical meeting to discuss efforts to accelerate the settlement of negotiations was also held in Jakarta.

The Indonesian Foreign Affairs Ministry, in its written statement issued here on Wednesday, stated that the two foreign ministers embraced an agreement on the methodology for the maritime boundary negotiations. The agreement is expected to facilitate the completion of negotiation.

Moreover, the two foreign ministers agreed on the need to immediately settle the preparation of a Provisional Arrangement (PA) to temporarily regulate overlapping claims of EEZ in order to prevent unnecessary incidents between fishing vessels of both countries from arising in future.

In addition to maritime boundary issues, Foreign Minister Marsudi and Foreign Minister Binh Minh discussed the current situation in the South China Sea.
 
The Indonesian government has consistently reiterated the need to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea.

Hence, every country should contribute to building mutual trust that can be achieved if all parties comply with the international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Minister Marsudi attends a series of ASEAN Foreign Ministerial Meetings and the ASEAN Post Ministerial Conference held from July 30 until August 2, 2019, in Bangkok, Thailand (ANTARA)

The realization of investment in the country will grow double digits owing to the recovery in investment trends, Chief of the Indonesian Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) Thomas Lembong has stated.  

"About the full year 2019, I am relatively conservative. I think it will grow by low double digits," he said in Jakarta Tuesday.
 

The recovery in investment trends began in 2018 and continued until the second quarter of 2019, he noted.
 

The optimism about de-escalation of the US-China trade war tensions and post-presidential election domestic political cycle will support the recovery in investment trends, he believed.
 

"Once again, investors have very high enthusiasm, particularly after President Jokowi gave an interview to several international media and delivered his (national) address at Sentul (International Convention Center/SICC)," he said.
 

The president's national address at SICC revealed the policies his government would be implementing during his second term in office. It had received a positive response from investors as could be seen from the numerous requests to hold meetings with the president-elect, he said.
 

"We have done our best to respond to the wave of post-election (investment) interests," he said.
 

BKPM has set the target of realized investment for 2019 at Rp792.3 trillion.
 

The board announced earlier in the day the realization of investment in the first semester of 2019 has reached Rp395.6 trillion, accounting for 49.9 percent of the target.
 

The investment comprised domestic investment worth Rp182.8 trillion and foreign investment worth Rp212.8 trillion.
 

The investment created a total of 490,715 jobs.
 

The top five sectors where one could see investments are transportation, warehousing and telecommunication; electricity, gas and water; construction; food industry; and housing, industrial zone as well as office space.
 

Five major foreign investors are Singapore, with investments worth US$3.4 billion; Japan (US$2.4 billion); China (US$2.3 billion); Hong Kong (US$1.3 billion); and Malaysia (US$1 billion). (ANTARA)

The 2019 Indonesia Festival will be organized at 16.5-ha Krasnaya Presnya Park located in the downtown of Moscow, Russia, from August 2-4, 2019.

"We have received full support from the Moscow Mayor so we get such a large park," Indonesian Ambassador to Russia Muhammad Wahid Supriyadi said in Moscow, Russia, on Tuesday.

The fourth Indonesian Festival in Moscow will have a positive impact on the economy, trade, tourism, and understanding of the Russian people about Indonesia, Wahid Supriyadi said.

He hoped for more trade transactions and economic cooperation as well as Russian tourist visits to Indonesia following the festival.

The festival will include an Indonesian product exhibition occupying 200 stands and having 1,200 participants from Indonesia. Supriyadi is optimistic that the event will attract many Moscow residents.

A culinary bazaar and a workshop on batik will also enliven the festival.

Deputy Tourism Minister Nia Niscaya, who has arrived in Moscow for the event, said the number of Russian tourists has increased over the last three years, and their spending were also quite good.

Initiated by the Indonesian Embassy in Moscow, the third Indonesia Festival themed "Visit Wonderful Indonesia: Explore our Regions" was held also at Krasnaya Presnya Park, on August 2-5, 2018.

Open since 1932, the cozy Krasnaya Presnya Park is a cultural and historic landmark of Moscow.

The name echoes the district’s history; which is derived from the Presnya River that ran here until 1908 before it was redirected to an underground duct. The word ‘Krasnaya’ (red) is a reference to the Russian Revolution of 1905, a wave of mass political and social unrest that spread through vast areas of the Russian Empire. (ANTARA)