VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

After the melting of South Korea's relations with North Korea, Japan seems to be trying to improve its relationship with North Korea. Although still a discourse, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe plans to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un to discuss a number of issues between the two countries. Shinzo Abe's wish was expressed in an official forum, namely the opening of the Parliament session last Monday. Shinzo Abe said he would immediately meet Kim Jong-Un to encourage the start of a new phase of relations between the two countries. One that will become a priority according to Abe is the restoration of diplomatic relations. There is also the issue  of two Japanese citizens who were traveling to North Korea kidnapping. Furthermore the Japanese Prime Minister said that his  planned  visit to North Korea was an effort to normalize diplomatic normalizationship. Shinzo Abe's statement is very different from what he affirmed with a strong tone last year and a threat to North Korea.

The two countries have been hostile toward each other  since the end of the Japanese aggression on the Korean Peninsula during the second world war. Efforts to end  the hostility  were carried out in the 90s through negotiations. But they failed because North Korea demanded that Japan compensate for what it called damage during a period of aggression. While Japan insisted on asking North Korea to stop nuclear tests before compensation was given. Tensions between the two countries after the negotiations that suffered a deadlock have escalated due to the kidnapping of some Japanese citizens who visited North Korea, allegedly by North Korean agents. Pyong Yang's government strongly denied it.

Tensions over the issue of kidnapping were softened by news that Pyong Yang would release a Japanese tourist, as reported  by the official North Korean government news agency KCNA. It was said the arrest of a Japanese tourist by the North Korean authorities was caused by accusations that the man  had videotaped one of North Korea's military facilities.

Whether the statement of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the possibility of   the release of the  Japanese citizen detained in North Korea are signs   for the resumption of relations between the two countries, are  still awaiting further processing. When the recovery of the relationship can be realized, there will certainly be geopolitical changes in Asia, especially in East Asia.

Entering 2019, Indonesia is actively carrying g out promotion overseas. The promotion is carried out by the Indonesian Embassy in the country of placement and in international meetings. Some of the programs that received remarks from the local community included the Promotion of 10 New Bali in Table-Top Meeting in Lithuania, Indonesian Product Exhibition in Pakistan, and Indonesian Product Exhibition at the 36th Khartoum International Trade Fair in Sudan, including ‘Indonesia Night’ that has just taken place on the sidelines of the implementation of the World Economic Forum 2019 in Davos, Switzerland.

Indonesia must indeed promote itself. Many targets have been announced for this year. For example, in the field of tourism, Indonesia targets 20 million foreign tourist visits. Although the number of foreign tourist arrivals until November 2018 has only reached 14.4 million, Indonesia remains optimistic, the target of 20 million foreign tourist visits can be achieved.

The Indonesia Night was also welcomed by the international community. Indonesia is indeed using the event held every year to expand networking and promotion of various leading sectors. At the same time, it attracted the interest of global business people who were present at the World Economic Forum to collaborate or invest in areas of interest in Indonesia.

In his opening speech, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Indonesia to the United Nations, WTO and other organizations in Geneva, Ambassador Hasan Kleib emphasized that the Indonesia Night was more than just a promotion of Indonesia's posture and profile in Davos. The event is also a momentum to keep showing Indonesia's bright future at the global level. The Indonesia Night also provides an opportunity to build networks and improve connections among business stakeholders by exploring every potential and business opportunity with Indonesia.

It is hoped that the international community will not only be interested, but take concrete actions to visit and invest in Indonesia. Indonesia must show its potential and advantages as an investment destination. With regulations that simplify the licensing process, Indonesia must also take advantage of the momentum of the trade wars between China and the United States. For example, by showing that Indonesia has the potential as the right destination for business relocation. In addition, Indonesia must actively promote industrial investment 4.0 and shape the image of Indonesia in line with technological developments and global innovation in various fields.

Read the news on this link  http://www.voinews.id/index.php/component/k2/item/3340-indonesia-s-simultaneous-general-election-is-the-most-complicated-election-in-the-world

Indonesia and Turkey held the third round of talks to discuss the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IT CEPA) in Jakarta on January 24-25.

"As the host (of the meeting), Indonesia stressed the importance of constructive negotiations to discuss crucial issues in six working groups," Director of Bilateral Negotiations of the Trade Ministry Ni Made Ayu Marthini who led the Indonesian delegation to the meeting said in a press statement released on Saturday.

The meeting is one of the steps to accelerate trade negotiations between the two countries. During the third round of the meeting, the two sides completed terms of reference to serve as a guide to holding negotiations in the future.

The meeting is a follow up to the second round of such meeting held in Ankara, Turkey, on May 28-30 last year. At the meeting, the six working groups discussed a wide range of issues related to trade including market access and draft text, customs and trade facilitation (CTF), trade remedies (TR), technical trade barriers (TBT), sanitation and fitosanitation (SPS), and legal agreement,

Marthini said the third round of the talks is one of the forms of the government`s seriousness to enhance economic cooperation with other countries as Indonesia`s trade partners to improve its export performance. The negotiations on CEPA may also serve as a means to meet the trade target of US$10 billion for 2023 that President Joko Widodo set while visiting Turkey in July 2017. (ant)