VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The governments of Bandung City and Melbourne City, represented by officials from each city signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MSP) at Melbourne Town Hall, Melbourne City, last Monday (22/4). The MSP was signed by the Mayor of Melbourne, Sally Capp AO. The person in charge (PJ) of the Mayor of Bandung, Bambang Tirtoyuliono has signed the document separately in Bandung. The signing activity was also witnessed by the Indonesian Consul General for Victoria and Tasmania, Kuncoro Giri Waseso, Assistant for Economic and Development of Bandung City, Eric Mohamad Atthauriq, and a group of Bandung City Government delegates.

In a statement from the Indonesian Consulate General in Melbourne received on Wednesday (24/4/2024), it was stated that the MSP was intended to form cooperation and develop effective and mutually beneficial friendly relations. "There are five areas of cooperation agreed upon, namely Smart Cities; Economy and Trade; Higher Education, Training and Capacity Building; Livable Cities and City Resilience," the Consulate wrote.

After the signing of the MSP, the Bandung and Melbourne governments held a meeting to discuss education cooperation, the development of innovation and pioneering companies, the existence of multicultural communities, and the use of technology in city management. "Both parties also agreed that the newly signed MSP should be able to strengthen the cooperation that has existed so far," wrote the Indonesian Consulate General in Melbourne.

Before the MSP was signed, the two cities already implement active cooperation, including through the Bandung-Melbourne Innovation Event Social Impact in 2022; Participation of the Bandung City Government in the Victoria Cleantech Expo 2021; Collaboration of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the State Government of Victoria, and the City Government of Melbourne in organizing E-Commerce and Cybersecurity Training for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) which was attended by 25 SMEs and MSMEs in Bandung in 2020; Webinar on Respective Responses to the COVID-19 Situation in West Java and Melbourne in 2020; Signing of the 2019 City to City Cooperation Letter of Intent (LoI); and, Sending the winner of the 2019 Bandung-Melbourne Datathon to Melbourne for incubation in 2019. As an implementation of the MSP, both Bandung and Melbourne will share experiences related to the organization of city day operations, pitch competitions, knowledge exchange, cultural arts cooperation, student exchange, and two-way trade and investment promotion.

Prior to the signing, the Indonesian Consulate General in Melbourne also facilitated a meeting between the Bandung City Government Delegation and the Indonesian Culinary Association of Victoria (ICAV), an association of Indonesian business people and gastronomists in Victoria. During the meeting, both parties discussed future collaborations, including the Bandung City Government's participation in gastronomy promotion activities in Victoria, exploring business opportunities such as the export of spices and handicrafts from Bandung, and the expansion of restaurants from Bandung. (Daniel).

VOInews, Jakarta: H.E. Armin Limo, the ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina to Indonesia, calls Muslims to focus on unity rather than exaggerating differences between schools and differences. H.E. Armin Limo shared his view about Islam in an interview with Syafiq Hasyim on IIIU's Guest program on Thursday (18/4/2024). Ambassador Armin Limo emphasized that Islam is religion of love, compassion, and forgiveness.

“I think we should focus more on unity because Islam is the one. I also don't like when somebody say moderate Islam or radical Islam, because IsIam is only one. IsIam is religion of love, compassion and forgiveness,” uttered Ambassador Armin Limo.

Misunderstandings about Islam, especially the impression of violence and intolerance, according to Ambassador Armin Limo, arise from unscrupulous parties who misuse Islam for their pragmatic interests.

“And there are only people unfortunately radical, extremists who misused Islam in their agenda which has got nothing to do with Islam in the end” said Ambassador Armin Limo.

To present Islam as a religion of love, Ambassador Armin Limo invited Muslims to focus more on unity and not magnify differences that could divide the ummah.

“So we should all follow our religion alhamdulillah which is unique in the world, and not too focus on our differences, or misinterpretation, or other things that only break the unity among us unfortunately," concluded Ambassador Armin Limo. (Daniel)

VOInews, Jakarta: Bosnia and Herzegovina's ambassador to Indonesia, H.E. Armin Limo, has a unique perspective on Indonesia. H.E. Armin Limo shared his experiences about Indonesia in an interview with Syafiq Hasyim on IIIU's Guest program on Thursday (18/4/2024). Among these, Ambassador Armin Limo expressed his admiration for the hospitality of the Indonesian people.

"I really mean that I went to many countries so far, this is almost the end of my diplomatic career, I was in Saudi Arabia, Iran, Pakistan, Jordan, Egypt, Serbia, and some other countries, but this country, this people is something really I have never experienced so far in my career and I thank God. People are so nice, so kind, so friendly, so humble, so that is unprecedented in my diplomatic career. (...) I like people, I like the country, I like food, I like the weather. Many people are complaining about the weather here being too hot, or too humid, for me it is not. It is perfect, I hate winter, I hate snow so all and all I like it very much indeed except traffic jump" said Ambassador Armin Limo.

Upon the talk about people-to-people diplomacy, Ambassador Armin Limo said that Bosnia-Herzegovina citizens consider Indonesians people as their brothers. Indonesia was among the first countries to recognize Bosnia-Herzegovina's independence. In 1995, Indonesia's second President Soeharto visited Bosnia-Herzegovina amid a war to show sympathy for Bosnian Muslims who were targeted in the conflict. Likewise, Madam Megawati visited Bosnia in 2002 to further strengthen the bilateral relationship between Indonesia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

"We have very good political relation, because Indonesia was helping us during the war and after the war, and our people back home in Bosnia, they know that and they feel that Indonesians are our friends and brothers, and they will never forget that,” added Ambassador Armin Limo. (Daniel).

KBRN, Jakarta: Member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are calling on all parties to immediately stop violence, exercise restraint, and realise peace along the border areas of Myanmar and Thailand. "Take all necessary measures to ease tensions and ensure peace, protection and safety of all civilians, including foreign nationals and citizens of ASEAN member states," said a joint statement of ASEAN Foreign Ministers received by Indonesia Window here on Thursday (18/4/2024).

ASEAN Foreign Ministers expressed concern over Myanmar's conflicts including in Rakhine State, Myanmar which caused the displacement of civilians. ASEAN does not want any further humanitarian impact due to the escalation of all forms of conflict. "We call on all parties to take urgent measures to mitigate the impact of the conflict on civilians, including creating a safe and conducive environment," the statement said.

Ensuring the timely and safe delivery of humanitarian aid to all those in need in Myanmar without discrimination was also stressed by the regional organisation. It also called for mobilisation of support for humanitarian negotiation efforts to address the humanitarian consequences in Myanmar and an inclusive national dialogue towards a durable and comprehensive political solution in Myanmar.

ASEAN reaffirmed its commitment to assist Myanmar in finding a solution by helping to create a conducive environment through the full and speedy implementation of the Five-Point Consensus as a whole. This is because the Five-Point Consensus is considered important in helping the people of Myanmar achieve an inclusive and durable peace for peace, security and stability in the region. "We support the ongoing efforts of the AHA Centre, as well as Thailand's cross-border humanitarian initiatives, which are in line with the Five-Point Consensus and coordinated with the ASEAN Chair through the ASEAN Chair's Special Envoy for Myanmar," the statement said.

25 Rohingya civilians were killed and thousands more forced to flee their homes due to the Myanmar Military Junta's attacks last weekend. The attacks in Rakhine state were carried out through airstrikes and heavy artillery. (Daniel).

Source: Antara