The Indonesian Embassy in Beirut has acknowledged its continued support for trade cooperation improvement between Indonesia and Lebanon. Indonesian Ambassador to Lebanon Hajriyanto Y Thohari gave the Primaduta Award to Lebanese businessman and importer, George R Fattouh. The award was given for his service in helping market Indonesian products in Paris from the Middle East. The award was given at a ceremony at the Indonesian Embassy in Beirut, Thursday (11/1) Fatough, is the owner of George R. Fattouh S.A.L, a business that has been importing Indonesian products since the 1980s. It has a range of products, including: palm oil and its derivatives, oil and fats (including cocoa butter substitute, fat spread, hydrogenated palm kernel oil, and lauric confectionery fats), cardboard, stationary, and school equipment. Some Indonesian products are now even available at famous retail networks, such as Spinney’s and Carrefour. In 2022, the value imported by George R. Fattough S.A.L of Indonesian products, was 981.3 million USD. This was a 149.5 million USD increase when compared to 2021. Fattouh said Indonesian products are known for their quality and are in high demand in Lebanese markets. However, he said, the challenge now is increasing freight costs due to security challenges in the region.
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Listeners, a number of delicious dishes were served to the guests of Dhaup Ageng Pura Pakualaman Yogyakarta, at the wedding reception of the youngest son of K.G.P.A.A. Paku Alam X, namely B.P.H. Kusumo Kuntonugroho with Laily Annisa Kusumastuti which was held on January 10, 2024.Head of the Customs and Accommodation Division, Dhaup Ageng Pura Pakualaman, KRT Radyo Wisroyo said that the menu served to guests was quite varied. These menus are typical menus prepared by Pakualaman Pura, Indonesian menus and western food menus were also available. All invited guests including VIP and VVIP guests got the same menu. The first menu served to welcome guests, namely two types of welcome drink, namely lime lemongrass and ginger drink with lime. The welcome drink was given when guests sat down and watched the Bedhaya Sidamukti and Bedhaya Kakung Indrawidagda dance performances. Next, they gotsnacks for appetizer such as croquettes and other light snacks. There is a snack that is considered quite special and rare called Garulina. Garulina was the opening snack at the Pahargyan Dhaup Ageng Pakualaman lunch on the first day. Garulina has been around since the era before Indonesian independence. Garulina is actually not a typical Central Javanese food. It looks like the Lapis Legit layered cake, but there is something different, because there is a special layer like vla which is made from fresh milk, eggs and sugar. To get this sweet snack, Pakulaman Temple has to place a special order from the third generation of makers who have been pioneering since the 1950s. In Jogja, Garulina is very difficult to find and is considered rare because it is not sold every day.
ViewIndonesian fashion was exhibited at the Indonesia International Modest Fashion Festival (IN2MF) held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Saturday (4/5). As quoted by Antara News agency, the festival took the theme "Cultural Harmony: Explore Modest Fashion Across Asia". The festival was jointly organized by Bank Indonesia, the Indonesian Ministry of Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises, the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, and the Indonesian Fashion Chamber (IFC). According to a press release from the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday (5/5), designers Dewi Sambi by Uthi Mintiarto, Haluan Bali, Hilman Samudera, Kasuari Batik, Batik Berkah by Rifdatul Khoiro, Riki Damanik, and Kalima from Malaysia participated in the fashion festival in Kuala Lumpur.
Head of Bank Indonesia's Sharia Economics and Finance Department Imam Hartono conveyed that the festival showcased the excellence and diversity of Indonesian modest fashion products. The term "modest fashion" is used for clothing that emphasizes modesty and does not accentuate the body shape.
Imam further explained that Indonesia International Modest Fashion Festival showcases the beauty of Indonesian textiles in modest fashion designs that are innovative, stylish and sustainable.
Meanwhile, Indonesian Ambassador to Malaysia Hermono said he was proud to take part in organizing IN2MF Kuala Lumpur 2024. According to Ambassador Hermono, the festival showcases the extraordinary talents of designers in Indonesia's sharia creative industry. He hopes IN2MF can become a sustainable annual event to promote modest fashion from Indonesia to Malaysia and other countries. IN2MF in Kuala Lumpur is part of the third edition of IN2MF, which will culminate in Jakarta on October 30 to November 4, 2024.
The Hungarian Honorary Consul Representative Office for Indonesia was officially opened in Bandung, West Java, to establish deeper cultural and diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Quoting Antara, the Hungarian Ambassador to Indonesia, Lilla Karsay, in a statement received in Jakarta, said that the consul office located at Asia Africa Street, Bandung was inaugurated on Thursday (02/05).
According to Karsay, the establishment of this office is an important step in our efforts to encourage deeper cultural exchanges, economic collaboration, and diplomatic relations between Hungary and Indonesia, especially in Bandung.
Karsay said the opening of the consul's office marked a new chapter in bilateral relations between Hungary and Indonesia, especially in the business, educational, social, and cultural fields.
Meanwhile, the Honorary Consul of Hungary to Indonesia in Bandung, Reza A Maulana wished that the Representative Office of the Honorary Consul of Hungary to Indonesia can facilitate and develop mutually beneficial partnerships between the business world and organizations from both countries.
Reza hoped that by creating an environment where Hungarian and Indonesian companies can develop together, he aims to create trade and investment opportunities, as well as lay the foundation for sustainable and beneficial economic growth for both countries.
The opening of the Hungarian Honorary Consul Office for of Indonesia in Bandung was also responded positively by the Bandung City Government.
Cooperation Head of the Bandung City Government, Bariati Ratna Aju said that apart from economic cooperation, it is hoped that the two countries can share and celebrate the rich heritage and traditions of Hungary and Indonesia, especially in the Bandung area.
On a trip to Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, don't be satisfied with just enjoying the beauty of Mount Rinjani, let's also stop by the tourist villages there. One of them is the Sigar Penjalin Tourism Village. This village can be reached in about 1.5 hours from Lombok International Airport or about one hour from Mataram City. Sigar Penjalin Tourism Village has a collection of beautiful beaches such as Sejuk Beach and Sira (Sire) Beach. From these beaches, if you are lucky, you can see Mount Batur or Mount Rinjani. On this beach, you can rent a boat to go to Gili or enjoy the underwater world. Apart from that, at Sejuk Beach, you can see how busy the wooden ship builders are, repairing or making tourist boats.
Visiting Sigar Penjalin village, you can also visit Lombok WildLife which offers various exciting interaction packages, for example taking part in bathing elephants. Apart from that, you can walk around the 3 hectares of the sanctuary area which is designed to be as similar as possible to its natural habitat. This activity is quite fun. By bringing a basket of animal food packages containing kale, sweet potatoes and fruit for IDR 50,000, you can interact with elephants, beautiful birds, deer, orangutans and various other animals. You can also meet baby animals born there.
Not far from Lombok WildLife Park, there is Rangsot Hamlet which is famous for its beekeeping and Trigona honey production. This type of bee is very small and has no sting, so you can observe it closely without worry. It is said that the honey produced by Trigona bees has 3-4 times the properties of other types of honey, therefore the price tends to be more expensive. Unlike the Apis type of beehive, the honey in the Trigona bee hive is placed in sap sacs which will give rise to a sour taste in the honey. This sweet and sour combination is also what makes Trigona honey unique and suitable as a special souvenir from North Lombok.
The United States returned three historical items of Indonesia, which were taken and sold illegally by black market and smuggling network in their country on Friday (26/4). The historical items return was done based on the decision of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg for a case of stolen items smuggling in Southeast Asia with defendants Subhash Kapoor and Nancy Wiener.
Kapoor is an India-American descent art trader, while Wiener is a US citizen who practices illegal antique trade. As reported by Channel News Asia, in his official statement, Bragg said they have returned 30 stolen historical items from Indonesia and Cambodia being sold in the US. Besides from Indonesia, the US will also return 27 stolen historical items from Cambodia. The value of these antiques were estimated to be 3 million USD, as quoted by Times Now News.
The three historical items returned to Jakarta were statues from the Majapahit Kingdom Era that led the Nusantara in the 13th-16th century. Earlier, these antiques were confiscated by New York Court in 2023.
Indonesian Consul General in New York, Winanto Adi thanked for the return of Indonesian historic items. As quoted from Al Jazeera, this was dubbed as a valuable present for the 75th year of US-Indonesia diplomatic ties.
Although Kapoor was arrested in 2011 and sentenced to prison, Bragg ensured the investigation still continues. During his leadership, Bragg through the Antiquities Trafficking Unit has found almost 1,200 stolen items from 25 countries including Southeast Asia, and some of which were from Indonesia. The value of these antiquities amounts to 250 million USD.
The Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia brought 50 Malaysian entrepreneurs or potential investors to Nusantara, the Indonesian New Capital City in East Kalimantan/ Tuesday (30/4)//
The visit of potential investors was the first site visit by a foreign delegation after the announcement of the official results of the Indonesian 2024 General Election// According to the Indonesian Ambassador to Malaysia/ Hermono/ this reflects confidence in the continuation of investment opportunities in Nusantara//
Present at the visit, which was led directly by Ambassador Hermono, were a number of businessmen, members of the Malaysia-Indonesia Business Council //
It is recorded that four Letters of Intent, signed by Malaysian investors have also been submitted directly to the Nusantara Authority//
To date, there have been 25 Letters of Intent received by the Nusantara Capital Authority from Malaysian entrepreneurs or potential investors// According to Ambassador Hermono/ this visit is a series of economic diplomacy which has been continuously encouraged by the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur since the beginning/ especially in promoting Indonesia’s New Capital City, Nusantara //
In mid-November 2022/ The Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur initiated a round table discussion on Indonesia’s New Capital City, Nusantara by presenting the Head of the Nusantara Authority/ Bambang Susantono//
Furthermore, at the end of November 2022/ the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur collaborated with the Malaysian Ministry of Investment/ Trade/ and Industry in holding a Townhall Discussion on Nusantara in Kuala Lumpur// It presented the Indonesian Minister of Public Works and Public Housing/ Basuki Hadimuljono/ as the main speaker// The Ambassador added/ all of this reflects the enthusiasm on Nusantara and commitment of Malaysian entrepreneurs to help build Indonesia’s new capital city//
During the visit of Malaysian Prime Minister Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim to Jakarta on January 8, 2023/ 11 Letters of Intent were handed over from the Malaysian Minister of Investment/Trade/and Industry to the Head of Nusantara Authority//
Chairman of the Study Board of the People's Consultative Assembly of the Republic of Indonesia, Djarot Syaiful Hidayat and a number of other Assembly members paid a visit to Bulgaria to strengthen bilateral relations of both countries on Monday (29/4). The meeting took place at the Bulgarian parliament building and was chaired by a representative of the Bulgarian Parliament as well as the Chairman of the Indonesia Friendship Parliament Bulgaria, Stanislav Bogdanski. In a press release of the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia Sofia in Jakarta on Wednesday (1/5) Djarot appreciated the warm welcome of Bulgarian parliamentarians. Even during recess, they could still conduct meetings and discussions to realize the improvement of bilateral relations between the two countries.
On one hand, Indonesia, as the largest economy in the ASEAN region with its growing potential, can be an ideal entry point for Bulgaria to enter the ASEAN common market. On the other hand, Bulgaria as part of the European Union is expected to be one of the entrances to deeper partnership cooperation with Indonesia. Therefore, Djarot hopes that it will create friendship, mutual trust and strengthen between Indonesia and Bulgaria for the long term, and it will give a positive image of both parties with all partners in the region. Partnership between Indonesia and Bulgaria as sovereign countries is certainly important to share historical experiences on strengthening democracy and national development.
Meanwhile, Indonesian Ambassador to Bulgaria, North Macedonia and Albania, Iwan Bogananta conveyed that Indonesia-Bulgaria bilateral relations, which have been established for 68 years, are very close. Even, both countries have had a lot of cooperation in the political, economic, defense and socio-cultural fields. Iwan also admitted during his time as Ambassador in Bulgaria, there was an increase in bilateral trade trends by 49 percent with a total trade value of US$755 million or around Rp12, 28 trillion.
Moreover, according to Ambassador Iwan, his side has also materialized Indonesia's ‘Spice Up The World’ program by implementing the Rendang Goes to Europe program, in this case building a production factory and supply chain of Indonesian food in Bulgaria. On that occasion, Stanislav Bogdanski also appreciated the visit of Indonesian parliamentarians to Bulgaria. According to Stanislav, over the last four years, the cooperation of both countries has continued to increase, not only between governments, but also with the private sector and people-to-people contacts. He encouraged the strengthening of cooperation between the parliaments of the two countries.
The Indonesian robotics team won at the RoboGames 2024, in San Francisco, US. In the event held on 15-23 April 2024, Indonesia won one gold medal, five silver, and three bronze. Robo Games is an annual world class robotics competition. There are 50 types of robotics competitions joined by participants from many countries. RoboGames was dubbed the world's largest robot competition in the Guinness Book of World Records. This year's Robo Games was the 16th edition.
Indonesia was represented by members ofUniversitas Komputer Indonesia(UNIKOM) Bandung Robotics Division. They were Taufiq Iskandar, Nawaf Saeful Anwar, and Dinar Maulana. The team was grateful to participate and win. This was the latest participation of Indonesia after not joining RoboGames during the COVID-10 pandemic. The robot in the competition was a result of robotics research by Electrical Engineering and Informatics Engineering students of UNIKOM Bandung.
One of the team member Nuzwir said the competition was an event to test their product, while improving a competitive and globally-tested research culture. The success of Indonesian robotics team at RoboGames 2024 was witnessed directly by the Indonesian Consulate General in San Francisco.
The Indonesian Consulate General in Cape Town held an Indonesian People's Market in the city of Mossel Bay, South Africa on 27th April 2024. The Indonesian People's Market is part of the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Indonesia and South Africa. This activity is also at the request of the local government who noticed the success of a similar event at the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia Cape Town in October 2023. In his speech, Alderman Niklaas Booisen representing the Mossel Bay City Government appreciated the Indonesian People's Market as a reflection of the spirit of 30 years of diplomatic relations of both countries which is expected to be held annually.
On that occasion, Consul General of the Republic of Indonesia Cape Town, Tudiono said that the People's Market tradition has been going on in Indonesia since hundreds of years ago. People's Market reflects the character of the Indonesian people who are simple, sincere, and friendly. Moreover, Tudiono explained that it is an honor to be able to introduce the tradition to Mossel Bay, to further strengthen relations between the communities of the two countries that have close historical and socio-cultural relations.
Furthermore, Mossel Bay is a small town in the Western Cape Province, 387 kilometers from Cape Town, but the Indonesian People's Market was attended by around 1,159 visitors. The Indonesian People's Market presents 15 Indonesian booths and 6 local booths. Indonesian booths promote a variety of Indonesian cuisine, tourism potential and various Indonesian products.
From the meetings and business matching between Indonesian vendors and distributors of Indonesian products with Mossel Bay business partners during the Indonesian People's Market, a number of local pharmaceuticals are interested in balsam products from Indonesia. There is also 1 local importer who is interested in importing spice products or distributors who are interested in marketing Kalbe International products and Mossel Bay City Council members who are interested in seeking marketing of noodle products to supermarkets in Mossel Bay//
The Indonesian Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, in collaboration with Air Macau and Atsiri and supported by the Indonesian Consulate General in Hong Kong, that concurrently as Macau, opened the Wonderful Indonesia pavilion at the Macau International Travel (Industry) Expo 2024.
Macau International Travel (Industry) Expo 2024 is a prestigious international exhibition in Macau initiated by the Macao Government Tourism Office. The exhibition was held at The Venetian Macao from April 26 to 28, 2024.
Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Sandiaga Uno in his statement in Jakarta, Sunday (28/4/2024), said that the main aim of participating in this event is to strengthen marketing efforts and enhance the profile of Indonesia's super priority destinations for the Macau market. Indonesia's super priority destination profile is Bleisure, Wellness Experience, Deep and Meaningful, and Set-Jetting.
MinisterSandiaga Unoalsoexplained that Indonesia has so many things to offer the Macau market. Apart from Bali, which was recently awarded 'The best islands in Asia: Readers Choice Awards 2023' by Conde Nast Traveler, Indonesia is also developing 5 new super priority destinations. These destinations are Lake Toba in North Sumatra, Borobudur in Central Java, Mandalika in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), Labuan Bajo in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) and Likupang in North Sulawesi.
Meanwhile, Deputy for Marketing at the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, Ni Made Ayu Marthini, said that direct flights from Macau to Bali and also onward connections to various other destinations in Eastern Indonesia are very important to attract tourists from Macau.She also hopes that Garuda Indonesia airline can open Macau – Jakarta or Bali flights to support tourism targets for the Macau market. According to Ni Made Ayu, more direct flights will make it easier for more Macau tourists to visit Indonesia.
Meanwhile, Director of Regional Tourism Marketing I at the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, Wisnu Sindhutrisno,stated that Indonesia's participation in the Macau International Travel (Industry) Expo 2024 is also expected to bring more Macau tourists to Indonesia to achieve the target of 17 million foreign tourist visits in 2024. According toWisnu, this is one Concrete step taken by the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy to demonstrate its commitment to facilitating highly curated Indonesian sellers to establish business partnerships and conduct onsite negotiations with potential buyers in Macau.
If you are a lover of Indonesian culinary delights, be prepared because an interesting culinary event entitled Solo Indonesia Culinary Festival (SICF) 2024 will be coming soon. Solo Indonesia Culinary Festival 2024 will be held at Manahan Stadium, Solo, 9-12 May 2024. This year the Solo Indonesia Culinary Festival will have Soto as its main theme. Soto was chosen as the theme for the 2024 Festival because this dish is one of the favourites of all groups and various ages. Apart from that, Soto also has various types and is almost always available in various regions in Indonesia.
Chairman of the Solo Indonesia Culinary Festival 2024 Organizing Committee, Daryono, said that based on the Pact of Milan, Solo was named a Food Smart City which successfully competed with hundreds of cities in the world. He also hopes that the 2024 Festival can be an event for promoting regional culinary potential and how Solo can become an example of a city with food potential management. According to Daryono, culinary is a creative economy that has long-lasting effects. Not only in absorbing labor but also in alleviating poverty.
The Solo Indonesia Culinary Festival 2024 will be enlivened by the distribution of thousands of free portions of soto to visitors, a breakfast menu creation competition, education about soto menus and various activities with attractive prizes. Other culinary menus will also color the 2024 Festival. Apart from Soto, the Solo Indonesia Culinary Festival 2024 will also feature contemporary breakfast. At the festival, information will be given on how to make local food ingredients into today's family breakfast menu, which can be made in a few minutes so it is faster and more efficient.