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.
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The Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia (KJRI) in Perth held a Cultural Exhibition at the Mandurah Museum in Mandurah, Australia to promote Indonesia. The opening of the exhibition which was held on Saturday (5/8) was attended by the Minister for Arts and Culture, International Education and Sport of Western Australia, David Templeman, and Deputy Mayor of Mandurah, Caroline Knight.
General Consul of the Republic of Indonesia in Perth, Listiana Operananta expressed the importance of building understanding through activities that are close to the public. According to her, Australia and Indonesia are close neighbours and it is natural that the people of the two countries have a close relationship.
The opening of the exhibition was enlivened by various dances from Indonesia, such as the Emprak Dance from East Java, the Betawi Mask Dance from Jakarta, as well as the Cendrawasih, and Selat Segara Dances from Bali.
The audience was also presented with an angklung performance by Darma Wanita Persatuan of the Indonesian Consulate General in Perth and the golden voice of Ruth Dian Lestari who sang ‘Tatingal di Papua’ and ‘Tanah Air’ songs. The opening of the exhibition was also filled with angklung workshops and dance arts for the visitors attending at the event. This Cultural Exhibition will be held until 3 September 2023 and aims to introduce the richness of Indonesian art and culture, as well as to promote relations between the people of Indonesia and Western Australia in Mandurah City.
This exhibition displays beautiful Indonesian clothing, and beautiful batik fabrics from Tuban as well as a variety of traditional clothing from across Nusantara.
The exhibition also features the very special “Potehan Kambarang” batik born from an artistic collaboration between West Australian Aboriginal artist, Cassandra Cartledge and Indonesian fashion designer, Embran Nawawi.
Indonesian warship KRI Bima Suci won 12 trophies at The Tall Ships Races 2023 held on June 29 - August 6, 2023 in Arendal, Fredrikstad, Del Helder, Hartlepool, and Lerwick. According to a press release of the Indonesian Embassy in Oslo, KRI Bima Suci a.k.a the Floating Ambassador won four trophies at the Tall Ship Races 2023 in Arendal, Norway on August 3-6, 2023.
The warship won “The Most Spectacular Arrival”, “The Best Crew Parade”, “The First Winner Sports Activities for Tall Ship Crew”, and “The Fourth Place on Tall Ship Race”. Even it became the spotlight for the local and international visitors, other ship crews, as well as Indonesian citizens in Norway.
KRI Bima Suci had an open ship and its crews showcased various arts from across Indonesia such as Reog Ponorogo, Piring or Plate Dance and Badinding Dance from West Sumatera, Gauk Dance from Bali, Rampak Gendang from West Java, Rama and Shinta from Java, and many other performances accompanied by Bima Suci band.
Then The Tall Ships Races 2023 continued in Den Helder, the Netherland on June 29 - July 2, 2023. In this competition, KRI Bima Suci won “The Most Spectacular Arrival”, “Vesel Farthest from Home Port”, “The Best Crew Parade”, and “Runner Up Sports Activities”.
Later in Hartlepool, England on July 6 - 9 2023, KRI Bima Suci won “The Most Spectacular Arrival”.
In Fredrikstad, Norway on July 15-18, 2023, the Indonesian warship won the “The Best Dressed Ship in Fredrikstad”.
KRI Bima Suci also won the “The Farthest Vessel from Homeport” and “The Tallest Vessel in Tall Ship Race Lerwick” on July 26-29, 2023 in Lerwick England.
The Indonesian Embassy (KBRI) in Manila introduced traditional food namely " Tempeh" through the Tempe Festival which was held at the 2023 ASEAN Food Festival (AFF) at SM Mall of Asia, Manila, the Phillipines on August 6. The Indonesian Ambassador to the Philippines Agus Widjojo through a press release from the Indonesian Embassy in Manila received by Antara News Agency on Sunday stated that the Indonesian Embassy fully supports the promotion of Tempe as a superfood, the pride of the Indonesian people in the Philippines.
Bringing the theme "Tempe Goes to Philippines for the World", the Tempe Festival is to promote tempe as a healthy, nutritious food ingredient from Indonesia, which can be processed into various kinds of dishes to the people of the Philippines. The Indonesian Embassy's booth served various kinds of processed tempe foods, such as tempe orek, fried tempe, balado tempeh, chipped tempe, onion retort tempe, tempe bolognese, and tempe rendang and Indonesian chili sauce, which were distributed to visitors free of charge.
The Ad Hoc Chairperson of the Tempe Festival and the founder of the Indonesian Gastronomic Community Mimis S Sasmoyo in his presentation gave an explanation of various nutritional content and health benefits of tempeh. Meanwhile, Chef Yudhi Harijono and Chef Eek Kie demonstrated how to process Tempe into iced tempe coffee latte, as the first menu in the world to be launched at the event.
Besides introducing tempe, the Indonesian Embassy in Manila also introduced batik at the ASEAN Food Festival. The ASEAN Food Festival (AFF) is an activity organized by the ASEAN Ladies Foundation (ALF) in commemoration of ASEAN Day 2023.
Moreover, Chairperson of Darma Wanita at the Indonesian Embassy in Manila Ranny Widjojo is the current President of ALF. Participants in the ASEAN Food Festival (AFF) consisted of representatives from 10 ASEAN member countries and ASEAN's dialogue partner, South Korea. The official opening of AFF was witnessed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines and ambassadors from ASEAN member countries and South Korea, as well as invited guests from some government, business, food-loving communities and the public.
Myanmar's ruling junta has officially postponed an election promised by August this year after its 2021 coup, state television reported late on Monday.
Junta leader General Min Aung Hlaing, in a meeting on Monday with the army-backed National Defence and Security Council (NDSC), extended a state of emergency by six more months.
The military had pledged to hold elections by August 2023 after it overthrew the elected government headed by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, but it cited ongoing violence as a reason to postpone the vote.
"While holding an election, in order to have an election that is free and fair and also to be able to vote without any fear, necessary security arrangements are still needed and so the period for the state of emergency is required to extend," read the junta statement on state TV.
Myanmar has been in chaos since the coup, with a resistance movement fighting the military on multiple fronts after a bloody crackdown on opponents that drew global condemnation and saw Western sanctions re-imposed.
The military seized power after complaining of fraud in a November 2020 general election won by Suu Kyi's party. Election monitoring groups found no evidence of mass fraud.
The overthrow of Suu Kyi's elected government derailed a decade of reform, international engagement and economic growth, while leaving a trail of upended lives in its wake.
In response to the junta's announcement, the U.S. State Department said extending the state of emergency would plunge the country "deeper into violence and instability".
"The regime's widespread brutality and disregard for the democratic aspirations of the people of Burma continue to prolong the crisis," said State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller.
A spokesperson for the United Nations Secretary-General said: "We want to return to democratic rule in Myanmar as soon as possible". (Reuters)
The Indonesian delegation from the Gandrung Dance Studio Jakarta and UKM Rampoe Faculty of Cultural Sciences at Gadjah Mada University (UGM) won eleven gold and seven silver trophies from the 10th Asian Arts Festival in Singapore on 11-15 July 2023. Attaché of Education and Culture at the Indonesian Embassy in Singapore, Igak Satrya Wibawa in Jakarta on Thursday (20/7) expressed his pride that the delegation carried the name of Indonesia, and he is proud because they are loyal to traditional arts and have pursued traditional arts since he was young. Igak conveyed that Gandrung Dance Studio and UKM Rampoe UGM have become Indonesian cultural ambassadors by presenting contemporary dance which is part of Indonesia's cultural diversity. Igak Satrya Wibawa considers that the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology and the Indonesian Embassy in Singapore consistently support efforts to preserve Indonesian traditional culture and arts. According to Igak, his side at the Indonesian Embassy in Singapore will work closely with the district and provincial governments to regularly send cultural delegations to Singapore.
He also explained that Singapore is geopolitically attractive because it has become a melting pot for many Asian cultures. He further explained that the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology has launched a cultural budget that will help the delivery and cultural activities abroad.
Moreover,Gandrung Dance Studio sent 28 dancers to compete in several categories. The team of dancers performed several traditional Sundanese, Balinese, Javanese, Sumatra and Sulawesi dances in group and solo categories. Meanwhile, the Rampoe UGM Team performed the Ratoeh Pukat dance which combined Ratoeh Jaroe and Tarek Pukat dances. The Rampoe Team UGM was also selected to perform specifically at the Closing Gala as the Best Folk Dance Category of the 10th Asian Arts Festival before the jury as well as invitations from the government, embassy, Singaporean cultural institutions. Asian Art Festival has been held since 2013 and cumulatively has presented 2,600 young artists from 20 countries, not only from Asia, but also from Germany, Russia, Scotland, New Zealand, other European countries, and the USA.
The Indonesian Embassy in Bangkok in collaboration with Walailak University in Thailand held an Indonesian Festival on July 17-18. This activity consisted of an introduction to Indonesian arts and culture, Indonesian dance workshops, Indonesian language workshops, Indonesian song workshops, and workshops on Indonesian musical instruments, namely the Angklung. In an official statement from the Indonesian Embassy in Bangkok received in Jakarta on Wednesday (19/7), it stated that the event was officially opened by the Education and Culture Attaché of the Indonesian Embassy in Bangkok, Achmad Wicaksono. He also said Indonesia and Thailand had good relations that existed long before Indonesia's independence.
Besides, Ahmad Wicaksono has also pointed out that the good relations between the two countries have continued to develop to date in various fields of cooperation thanks to the active role of various stakeholders in both countries, including Walailak University which has had several Memorandum of Understandings on educational cooperation with several universities in Indonesia. The Indonesian Festival is a promotional effort in Indonesia on an ongoing basis to the people of Thailand. According to Wicaksono, this activity is a forum for the younger generation of Thailand to get to know Indonesia closer and better so that people-to-people contact is expected to be established between the people of Indonesia and Thailand.
Meanwhile the President of Walailak University, Prof. Dr. Sombat Thamrongthanyawong expressed his appreciation for organizing this activity. He further said with the many artistic and cultural similarities between Indonesia and Thailand, the two countries had various opportunities for cooperation to continue to develop. The first day of holding the Indonesian Festival began with an introduction to the richness of Indonesian art and culture by the Education and Culture Attache. Then, this activity was followed by an Indonesian language workshop, a traditional Indonesian dance workshop, namely Beksan Smarasanta, an Angklung workshop, and a workshop on traditional Indonesian songs, namely "Rasa Sayange." The workshop activities were attended by students from various majors. For a full day they studied Indonesian art and culture carefully. Furthermore, everything learned on the first day was displayed on July 18, 2023 at the Si Thammarat Auditorium which was attended by students, lecturers, including the Indonesian Ambassador in Bangkok.
Moreover, on the second day of the Indonesian Festival,there was also a public lecture with the theme "Indonesian Foreign Politics and Bilateral Cooperation between Indonesia and Thailand" delivered by the Indonesian Ambassador to the Kingdom of Thailand and UN ESCAP, Rachmat Budiman. To increase students' knowledge at Walailak University regarding Indonesia, for two days, an Indonesian booth was also exhibited which promoted Indonesia's wealth from tourism to handicraft products. This Indonesian Festival activity is the first activity carried out by the Indonesian Embassy in Bangkok with Walailak University and will be a good starting point for carrying out other activities to promote Indonesian arts and culture in the future
Head of the Nusantara Capital Authority(OIKN) Bambang Susantono was the guest of honor at the Forum of Twin Cities to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Astana City on 5 July 2023 at the Astana Congress Building, Kazakhstan. Indonesian Ambassador to Kazakhstan Fadjroel Rachman in his written statement on Friday said that the forum participants consideredthe presentation of the Nusantara delegation is interesting.
The forum was held to coincide with two special moments for Indonesia and Kazakhstan, namely the celebration of the 30th anniversary of bilateral relations between the two countries and the 25th anniversary of Astana City.
Head of the Nusantara Capital Authority, Bambang Susantono conveyed his congratulations on the 25th anniversary of Astana City when he was honored to be a speaker at the opening panel session. He also introduced the development of Indonesia's new capital city, Nusantara, which is based on the principles of smart, green, inclusive, resilient and sustainable cities. Bambang said, in 2045, Nusantara is targeted to become the first sustainable forest city in the world.
Bambang Susantono also said that the collaboration that will be implemented through the Nusantara-Astana sister cities agreement is hoped to be able to encourage cultural exchange, economic cooperation and mutual understanding between residents of the two cities.
The statement referred to the Memorandum of Understanding on the initiative for the nation's capital which was signed by theHead of the Nusantara Capital Authority(OIKN) together with the governor of Astana on July 3 in Astana//
The Indonesian diaspora in Japan promoted Indonesian culture through the aroma of Indonesian tea in a festival held by the Indonesian Cultural House in Tokyo on Saturday (1/7). According to the Educational and Cultural Attaché of the Indonesian Embassy (KBRI) in Tokyo, Yusli Wardiatno, the activity aims at enshrine Indonesian culture in accredited countries. According to Yusli, this event is very important because the Ministry of Foreign Affairs wants to continuously encourage the number of Japanese citizens who love Indonesia or Indonesianists in accredited countries to continuously grow. He also said because of this, the program has become one of the media to increase the number of Indonesianists. As reported by Antara News Agency, visitors were introduced to various Indonesian teas, such as jasmine tea, rose tea, and Moringa leaf tea typical of East Nusa Tenggara. Visitors could also enjoy packaged tea made in Indonesia which is already popular overseas.
Yusli further conveyed that tea was chosen because it reflects the uniqueness of the archipelago besides coffee. Previously there was also an Indonesian coffee festival and it received very good welcome and praise from the Japanese people. According to Yusli, the Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo wants to introduce other natural products from Indonesia which have previously been in demand in other countries. It is also hoped that more Japanese people will get to know Indonesian natural products and one of them is tea. He believes that Indonesian tea will be in demand by Japanese citizens in the future. He also affirmed that the activity is one of the efforts to strengthen Indonesia's relations with Japan.
Besides culinary, this festival also held a short workshop to learn Balinese gamelan, namely Rindik. The visitors took turns trying the traditional Balinese musical instrument made of bamboo. Yusli also hopes that with the introduction of this musical instrument, Japanese people will be more curious and able to learn direct from Bali. The visitors also have the opportunity to get to know and wear batik cloth. This Indonesian tea promotion activity was held in the atmosphere after Emperor Naruhito's historic visit to Indonesia, so that it is hoped that it can strengthen people-to-people contact between Indonesia and Japan
The Indonesian Minister of State-owned Enterprises Erick Thohir officially launched the Indonesia Incorporated in Hong Kong on Friday (30/06). Indonesia Incorporated is a platform for Indonesiastate-owned enterprise(SoE) in expanding business on a global level. Besides Hong Kong, Indonesia Incorporated is also planned to be opened in Dubai, London, New York, and Singapore. Erick Thohir hoped the Indonesia Incorporated would be a revolutionary move in accelerating the growth and continuity of the SoE in the globalization era. Therefore, Indonesia Incorporated is there to strengthen Indonesia's position in the international level and to make SoE as the main competitive player in the global market.
On the same occasion, as quoted from the Consulate General's Instagram Hong Kong, Indonesian Consul General in Hong Kong Ricky Suhendar said, the launching and inauguration of Indonesia Incorporated for the first time in Hong Kong showed that Hong Kong is an important and strategic partner for Indonesia. Indonesia Incorporated Hong Kong is a merger of various Hong Kong-based Indonesian state-owned enterprises (SoEs) namely Bank BNI Hong Kong, Bank Mandiri Hong Kong, BRI Hong Kong, Telkom Indonesia Hong Kong, and Garuda Indonesia. Indonesia Incorporated is located in the prestigious area of Financial District Hong Kong; Far East Finance Center 16 Harcourt Rd, Admiralty, Hong Kong.
Indonesian food and beverage products reached transactions worth US$7.73 at the South Africa Africa's Big 7 (AB7) exhibition from 18 to 20 June 2023. Head of the Indonesia Trade Promotion Center (ITPC) Johannesburg Tonny Hendriawan in a written statement on Friday (23/6 ) conveyed that Indonesia tries continuously to increase the potential for food and beverage exports. Tony further explained that Indonesia's participation in this exhibition was carried out in collaboration with the Indonesian Embassy in Pretoria and ITPC Johannesburg. Tony affirmed Indonesian business actors need to diversify export markets through intensive promotion to the South African market which has become the entry point for markets in the South African region. He said South Africa is a unique market.
Business actors need to study the South African market carefully. South African consumers are generally loyal to certain brands. Around 70 percent of consumers are in the middle to lower income range, so they are quite sensitive to price. Africa's Big 7 is followed by business actors from various countries such as Indonesia, China, India, Mozambique, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and Pakistan. The Indonesian Pavilion was opened by the Chargé d'Affaires Ad Interim of the Indonesian Embassy in Pretoria Victor Sambuaga accompanied by ITPC Johannesburg and it received the attention of more than 1,000 visitors coming from South Africa, Lesotho, Namibia, Eswatini and Botswana and Mozambique.
Moreover, Victor pointed out that although the import duty rates for the South African market are still high, he is sure that Indonesian products still has opportunities and potential to enter this market.