VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Many countries in the world are forbidding travelers, students, and foreign workers, from entering due to the emergence of the Omicron variant. Yet, Australia starting Wednesday (15/12) in fact has begun to openi its borders after believing that the new Omicron variant does not cause more dangerous symptoms than the previous Covid-19 variant.

According to Australian Prime Minister Scott Morisson, quoted from Reuters, Thursday (16/12), at this time humans will be forced to live with the COVID-19 virus. What can be done so as not to be dragged into the flow of economic downturn, is to open borders. The relaxation of border regulations is expected to reduce the labor shortage, which threatens to hamper the country's economic recovery.

The decision to reopen the border in Australia is a follow-up that the country has certainly considered carefully. Even the recommended security measures for the emergence of Omicron must have been anticipated. Locking down since March 2020 has seriously threatened the country's economy.

The circulation of money from the presence of foreign students in Australia is estimated at US $ 25 billion per year. The return of foreign students and skilled migrant workers will help businesses fill the shortage of freelancers. More than 235,000 foreigners, including around 160,000 students, are holding visas to Australia by the end of October 2021.

It is hoped that the health care system in Australia will be able to handle the increase in cases well, including for foreign arrivals. The quarantine system must also be enforced, in addition to continuing to tighten health protocols, from wearing masks to avoiding crowds to ward off the OMICRON virus.

Indonesian Ambassador to Spain, Muhammad Najib along with many staff from the Indonesian Embassy in Madrid, Spain visited the Assalam mosque and Moslems in Segovia City, the autonomous region of Castilla y León in Spain. The Indonesian Embassy in Madrid in its information received in Jakarta last Tuesday (14/12) stated that the visit was to continuously carry out the preparations for an interfaith dialogue which will be held in 2022. Assalam Mosque is the largest mosque in Segovia City which only has 2 mosques. In that city, Moslems live as a small group among Catholics and Jews.

Nevertheless, they live in harmony and there are no problems related to any religions either from the surrounding community or from the local government. The Assalam Mosque is quite large and well-maintained. The mosque is able to accommodate about 150 worshipers to hold prayers under normal conditions. The presence of Ambassador Najib and his entourage from the Indonesian Embassy in Madrid was enthusiastically welcomed by the mosque's Takmir (a leader of Mosque) and the congregations who attended.  The Moslems in Segovia have long heard about Indonesia becoming the country with the largest Moslem population in the world.

The Indonesian Embassy in Madrid previously mentioned that Indonesia and Spain could be the main triggers for an activity of interfaith dialogue which is expected to inspire all participants to bring it to their respective countries. Indonesia as a country with a majority Moslem population is expected to share experiences with all participants of the interfaith dialogue about how to live in harmony among adherents of different religions and ethnicities.

Many countries in the world are forbidding travelers, students, and foreign workers, from entering due to the emergence of the Omicron variant. Yet, Australia starting Wednesday (15/12) in fact has begun to openi its borders after believing that the new Omicron variant does not cause more dangerous symptoms than the previous Covid-19 variant.

According to Australian Prime Minister Scott Morisson, quoted from Reuters, Thursday (16/12), at this time humans will be forced to live with the COVID-19 virus. What can be done so as not to be dragged into the flow of economic downturn, is to open borders. The relaxation of border regulations is expected to reduce the labor shortage, which threatens to hamper the country's economic recovery.

The decision to reopen the border in Australia is a follow-up that the country has certainly considered carefully. Even the recommended security measures for the emergence of Omicron must have been anticipated. Locking down since March 2020 has seriously threatened the country's economy.

The circulation of money from the presence of foreign students in Australia is estimated at US $ 25 billion per year. The return of foreign students and skilled migrant workers will help businesses fill the shortage of freelancers. More than 235,000 foreigners, including around 160,000 students, are holding visas to Australia by the end of October 2021.

It is hoped that the health care system in Australia will be able to handle the increase in cases well, including for foreign arrivals. The quarantine system must also be enforced, in addition to continuing to tighten health protocols, from wearing masks to avoiding crowds to ward off the OMICRON virus.

President Joko Widodo received two honorary visits: the courtesy visit of the U.S. Secretary of State, Anthony J. Blinken and the Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, Nikolay P. Patrushev at the State Palace in Jakarta, Monday (13/12). During the meeting, President Joko Widodo pointed out Indonesia's priorities in the G20 presidency.

Quoting presidentri.go.id, Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Retno Marsudi in her statement after accompanying President Joko Widodo revealed that during the meeting, Indonesia hopes that the United States can become one of its partners in the economic sector, including in the investment. She added that Indonesia also hopes to become a part of the global supply chain for the health sector.

Meanwhile, in a meeting with the Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, President Joko Widodo said that in 2023, Indonesia will chair ASEAN.Therefore, he hopes for cooperation with Russia as long as Indonesia is the chairman of ASEAN.

Minister Retno Marsudi further pointed out that the United States and Russia are two of Indonesia's good partners. At the end of her statement, Minister Retno Marsudi emphasized that Indonesia will continue to develop strategic trust with all countries and all Indonesian partners.

The spirit of strategic trust has been kept being prioritized by President Joko Widodo. In international meetings, such as the November 2020 APEC Summit, the 4th ASEAN-Russia Summit and the 24th ASEAN-Japan Summit at the end of October 2021, President Joko Widodo often emphasized the importance of the strategic trust.

As remarked by Minister Retno Marsudi, this strategic trust is also needed to build a peaceful, stable, and prosperous world. The visit of high-ranking officials from the world's two superpowers that are also members of the G20: the United States and Russia at the end of 2021, is an important note for Indonesia. Indonesia will keep strengthening the strategic trust with all countries and partners. This proves that Indonesia is strongly committed to contributing and creating a peaceful, stable and prosperous world.