VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has given three directives that Indonesian and Saudi foreign ministers will discuss during their bilateral meeting on Tuesday.

"The president did not speak in detail as the details of the issue will be discussed at the Foreign Ministry tomorrow. He only gave directives on the frame of Indonesia's objective of establishing relations with Saudi Arabia," Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi stated in Bogor, West Java, on Monday.

Speaking to journalists after accompanying the president at a meeting with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir at the Bogor Presidential Palace, Marsudi noted that Al-Jubeir`s visit to Indonesia was mainly aimed at holding bilateral talks with her on Tuesday.

"The meeting has been scheduled for a quite long time, because it is one of the follows up to King Salman`s visit to Indonesia last year," she added.

The first directive that the president delivered at a meeting with the Saudi foreign minister is that as a fellow Muslim country, Indonesia has always encouraged Saudi Arabia to promote peace and tolerance and settle any conflict peacefully.

The second directive is that the two countries should strengthen cooperation in the economic, trade, and investment fields.

"Both countries have not made optimum use of the potentials. That is why the president expressed hope that cooperation between Indonesia and Saudi Arabia in the economic field will be increased," she remarked.

The third directive is that the president?s call to the Saudi government seeking better protection for Indonesian migrant workers employed in the Middle Eastern country.

"Many Indonesian citizens are employed there. The president has asked Saudi Arabia to protect them," she pointed out. (ANTARA)

Indonesia must build trust and confidence among the major countries in the region to fulfill the Indo-Pacific idea.

"Without trust among the big countries, it is difficult to realize this idea," said UNESCO Chair for Transnational Challenges and Governance School of International Service, American University, Amitav Archarya, in Jakarta on Monday.

Also, Indonesia must create a common understanding related to Indo-Pacific ideas among developing countries that have a strategic location in the region.

"Creating shared understandings can be done with dialogues to discuss Indo-Pacific ideas," he said.

In the Asia Pacific region, there are four major countries that have power in the political, economic and military fields, including the United States, Japan, China and Russia.

In addition to the four major countries, there is also the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the Asia Pacific region. ASEAN is a subregional organization in the Asia Pacific region that is courted by superpower countries and other countries in the region.

Previously, former Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said the Indo-Pacific idea could maintain ASEAN`s centrality and unity, both geographically and geopolitically, in ensuring regional stability.

"The Indo-Pacific idea is in line with the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) owned by ASEAN," Marty Natalegawa said.

US President Donald Trump, who chose the Indo-Pacific term, rather than Asia-Pacific, as used by the previous US administration, can raise the Indo-Pacific idea among other nations.

"The Indo-Pacific idea was initiated by me during 2013 in Washington D.C. at an international conference," Trump said.

However, he continued, the idea needed an approach providing dynamic equilibrium in the Asia Pacific region.

"As a result, no power would dominate in the region," he remarked.

This dynamic balance is built by increasing cooperation and building patterns of cooperation and partnership relationships, so that confrontation can be avoided.

This approach can promote mutual security, prosperity and stability in the region. (ANTARA)

The Indonesian Trade Ministry is preparing a strategy to boost West Nusa Tenggara province`s exports, in the wake of last August`s disastrous earthquake that paralyzed the local economy.

The strategy will allow for the local population to take part in each promotional activity, Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita said, while delivering a general lecture at Jayakarta Hotel in West Lombok on Monday.

"In essence, seeing is believing. So we will show them our products to buy. If our products are not known to them, then how could they buy them? We must promote the products abroad to show them to buyers," he said.

One of the events to promote local products is Trade Expo Indonesia, which he said will encourage the market to purchase West Nusa Tenggara`s products.

"We will assist (local businessmen) in preparing promotional facilities, including at the trade expo, which is one of the large exhibitions," he said.

He added that the government`s attention to West Nusa Tenggara has been realized, in accordance with the mandate of President Joko Widodo. In his mandate, the president has ordered all ministries to pay attention to earthquake-stricken areas.

Not only does the infrastructure development support the local population?s activities, but the recovery of the local economy also has become the main target of the government`s program in the wake of the earthquake, he said.

"Based on the president`s instructions, we will surely encourage those disaster-affected areas in West Nusa Tenggara and Palu to be high on the list of priorities to catch up with the market," he said. (ANTARA)

The International Dragon Boat Race which ended on Sunday (21/10) in Carang River, Tanjung Pinang was successfully won by a team from Bekasi named Koarmada. Koarmada has successfully maintained its champion title for two consecutive years. In this year’s championship, Koarmada which is the Indonesian Navy sent two teams. With the time record 2 minutes and 39.18 seconds, the Koarmada team 1 defeated his co-team, Koarmada team 2. The second Koarmada finished with the time record 2 minutes and 40.59 seconds. Meanwhile, the Malaysian MJB team won the third position as it was left one minute behind the Koarmada team 2. Coach of the Koarmada teams, Capt. Rusell Tambunan said that the victory was achieved through hard work of his teams which kept practicing consistently and do not underestimate their rivals.

“All teams are very qualified and from the beginning, we have reminded that there is no one being the most superior or the weakest one. We should not underestimate the other teams or become overconfident. We believe that every team is equal and appropriate to compete with us,” said Russel.

Rusell further said that Carang River as the spot for the International Dragon Boat Race 2018 has strong stream that could be overcomeby his athletes. Held from 19^th to 21^st of October, the International Dragon Boat Race was participated in by 44 teams. 10 of them were foreign teams. Malaysia was the toughest foreign competitor with 7 teams, while Brunei Darussalam sent 2 teams, lastly Singapore with 1 one team. (Nuke/Trans: AL)