VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOInews, Jakarta: Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi reminded the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. According to her, the Indo-Pacific has great potential as the most strategic sea and a major shipping route. In addition, the Indo-Pacific is also an important source of livelihood for millions of people in the region, including the interests of great powers.

"Failure to manage this could threaten peace and stability in the region. We must avoid our region turning into an epicenter of conflict," she said at the 11th Expanded ASEAN Maritime Forum (EAMF) in Nusa Dua, Bali, Wednesday (2/8).

Retno said, over the past five decades, ASEAN has worked hard to deny this possibility, including through strict adherence to international law and an inclusive regional architecture. According to her, all countries should be able to feel safe and secure and free from the threat of military force.

"Our maritime sphere must contribute to making the region an epicenter of growth," she said.

Therefore, Retno encouraged all parties to find a common way to regulate behavior in the Indo-Pacific maritime region. She encouraged the Indo-Pacific maritime region to become a peaceful and safe ocean.

"A peaceful ocean means our actions should not cause insecurity for others, including unnecessary power projection and building alliances to contain other countries. Our waters must not be used as battlegrounds or platforms to launch attacks against others," she said.

In addition, she also encouraged the consistent application of international law, including by adhering to the Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and other rules of the game in the region such as the Zone of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality (ZOPFAN), the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation (TAC), and the nuclear weapon-free zone (SEANWFZ).

Furthermore, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi also encouraged the Indo-Pacific sea to become a sea of cooperation. This, she said, means using collaboration as a catalyst to build trust and lasting peace.

"The ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific is critical to building habits of cooperation in the maritime field. Our cooperation should be geared towards addressing climate change in our oceans, marine pollution and IUU fishing crimes, developing the blue economy, promoting maritime safety and supporting the livelihoods of coastal communities," she said.

She also encouraged the EAMF Forum to become a policy dialog platform to synergize policies on maritime governance cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. According to him, the road to creating peace and stability is still long and requires support from all stakeholders in the region.

"I hope this EAMF meeting can be a starting point in our journey," she concluded. (VOI)

VOINews, Jakarta - The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fishery (KKP) and Japan's Miyagi Prefecture explored cooperation in the development of maritime and fishery human resources, with a special focus on the preparations of specified skilled workers (SSWs).

Head of KKP Ministry's Extension and Human Resources Development Agency (BPPSDM), I Nyoman Radiarta, noted in a press release on Tuesday that Indonesia and Japan, especially its Miyagi prefecture, have shared similar characteristics in their fishery sectors.

The statement was released after the visit of Governor of Miyagi Prefecture Yoshihiro Murai to the central office of KKP Ministry's BPPSDM in Jakarta on the same day.

"The similarities can drive Indonesia and Miyagi Prefecture to establish cooperation in workforce exchange in a bid to help Japan maintain its fishery industry and support the development of Indonesia's fishery human resources," he remarked.

The same factor has been appealing to Japan to name Indonesia as one of the countries in ASEAN, from which it supplies SSWs to its fishery sector.

Radiartha then noted that Japan has a high demand for Indonesian SSWs, and for that reason, the ministry is striving to keep track of the workers' whereabouts, condition, welfare, and legal protection during their stay in Japan.

During the governor's visit, Radiarta proposed cooperation in helping Indonesian workers fulfill requirements to become SSWs by organizing Japanese language and culture training courses as well as sending Indonesians to enroll in apprenticeship programs in Japanese companies.

Furthermore, he pushed for the implementation of the Summer School program involving the exchange of students, lecturers, and educational professionals of both countries.

Meanwhile, Governor Murai, for his part, welcomed the proposals, saying that Japan needed Indonesian workers to work in its fishery sector.

"Currently, most apprentices in Japan come from Vietnam and Indonesia, with almost equal numbers. Hopefully, the number of Indonesian apprentices will exceed that of Vietnam in the future," he pointed out.

To that end, the governor expressed interest in partnering with the ministry by encouraging both parties to immediately sign a cooperation agreement.

Kazuyoshi Hatakeyama, member of the Miyagi Regional Parliament, affirmed that Japan possessed advanced technology in the fishery sector though lacked in terms of the number of productive workforce.

On the other side, he noted that Indonesia wields a vast number of fishery human resources.

Hence, he expressed optimism that Indonesian workers would work in Japan's fishery sector, especially in the Miyagi Prefecture. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) invites artists, designers, and business actors in the batik industry to further explore new colors and motifs for the sake of diversification of the Indonesian original craft.

"I would like to invite batik lovers and the whole nation to make the most of the current economic revival to continue developing and diversifying our batik by exploring new colors and motifs every year to boost its appeal," he said in Jakarta on Wednesday.

In his speech while opening the Batik Nusantara Exhibition, the president extended his appreciation to batik artists, designers, and users for their contribution to the preservation and promotion of the nation's authentic artwork.

The head of state noted that batik constitutes one of the country's special artworks that depict both beauty and philosophy.

He also considers batik as a reflection of the face and dignity of the Indonesian nation.

The batik industry has created millions of job opportunities, helping numerous people sustain their lives, he affirmed.

"In this post-pandemic era, I believe that the value of batik industry's turnover will reach an ever higher level. God Willing," he said.

President Jokowi then noted that the country is currently enjoying a better rate of economic growth as compared to that during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hence, he urged batik artists and entrepreneurs to make the most of the momentum to further develop the batik industry.

The Batik Nusantara Exhibition is being held by the Indonesian Batik Foundation for a week, on August 2-6 at Senayan Park, Jakarta.

The event is drawing participation from a total of 250 batik and culinary entrepreneurs from the category of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSME).  (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - Indonesia will seek to consolidate religious leader figures in Southeast Asia by holding the 2023 ASEAN Intercultural and Interreligious Dialogue Conference (ASEAN IIDC) on August 7.

The conference will be held as the initiative of the Executive Board of Nahdlatul Ulama (PBNU) with support from the Religious Affairs Ministry and Foreign Affairs Ministry, within the agenda of Indonesia's ASEAN chairmanship this year and will be attended by President Joko Widodo.

"The main idea is to build a network of consolidation for religious figures and leaders from ASEAN countries," PBNU Chairperson Yahya Cholil Staquf remarked during a press conference in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Staquf explained that PBNU sought to build a strong and consolidated network for leaders of various religions by identifying background similarities of Southeast Asian communities to form the basis for the consolidation.

"Based on our observation, communities in Southeast Asia once shared the same basis of civilization, evidenced by the success of the Sriwijaya Kingdom in maintaining its influence for seven centuries in various regions in Southeast Asia and even in India," he pointed out.

Hence, he affirmed that Indonesia will endeavor to use the historical background as the foundation of its strategy to consolidate religious leaders in ASEAN.

As cited from Nahdlatul Ulama's website, the conference will carry the theme of "ASEAN Shared Civilizational Values: Building an Epicentrum of Harmony to Foster Peace, Security, and Prosperity."

According to Staquf, Indonesia's consolidation strategy is in line with the conference's title and theme, as it will involve religious leaders and highlight Southeast Asia's common cultural values.

The 2023 ASEAN IIDC will take place at Ritz Carlton Hotel, Jakarta, and draw 200 participants, including 11 national speakers, 15 foreign speakers, and 27 delegates from ASEAN and guest countries, such as the United States, China, India, and Japan.

Results of the conference will be further discussed during the 43rd ASEAN Summit that is scheduled to take place in Jakarta in September this year. (Antaranews)