VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Archive; Indonesian foreign Affairs Minister, Retno Marsudi during a press confrence in AMM 2023 (Photo: NK-VOI) - 

Voinews, Jakarta - Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi pointed out that Indonesia has ratified the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) and is ready to push for its universalization. This was said by  Minister  Retno Marsudi while  attending the High-Level Segment Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, Switzerland on Monday (26/2).  During the meeting,  according to Minister Retno,  Indonesia urges countries which possess nuclear weapons to fulfill their obligations, including those stipulated in the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

“There is a need to strengthen commitment to global disarmament. I convey that Indonesia has ratified the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) and is ready to push for its universalization.  Indonesia urges nuclear weapons states to fulfill their obligations, including those stipulated in the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)."

Furthermore, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi revealed that Indonesia and ASEAN countries continuously encourage the signing of the SEANWFZ Protocol (Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon Free Area Treaty) by permanent member countries of the UN Security Council or P5.  Conference on Disarmament is the only multilateral negotiation forum that discusses disarmament efforts and weapons. This forum consists of 65 countries including permanent members of the UN Security Council or P5.  The meeting was chaired by the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Indonesia in Geneva as President of the Conference on Disarmament, Febrian A. Ruddyard///(Kemlu-Ranov-Mar) / Trans : AF

Smoke from bushfires rises north of Beaufort, near Ballarat in Victoria, Australia, Feb 24, 2024. (Photo: AAP Image/David Crosling/Pool/via REUTERS) - 

Voinews, Sydney - Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese pledged on Sunday (Feb 25) to provide whatever support was needed to assist Victoria state in a days-long wildfire emergency that has razed homes after authorities warned extreme heat could fan the blazes this week.

"We will provide whatever support is requested from Victoria," Albanese told reporters in the city of Frankston, Victoria, according to a transcript.

"It's a reminder of the need for us to be vigilant for us to continue to work and act on the threat that is climate change."

The emergency has killed livestock, destroyed six homes and forced more than 2,000 people to leave western towns and head to the city of Ballarat, 95km west of the state capital, Melbourne.

Australia is in the grips of an El Nino weather pattern, which is typically associated with extreme phenomena such as wildfires, cyclones and droughts.

More than 15 bushfires were burning in Victoria on Sunday, with the most serious blaze, ranked at the second highest danger rating, near several remote towns, according to the state's emergency authority.

State authorities have said there are concerns about the weather this week particularly Wednesday into Thursday when extreme heat is forecast that could further fan the fires.

Around 1,000 firefighters supported by more than 50 aircraft have battled the fires since they started.

The last two bushfire seasons in Australia have been subdued compared with the 2019-2020 "Black Summer", when bushfires destroyed an area the size of Turkey, killing 33 people and 3 billion animals//CNA-VOI

Chairperson of the Committee for Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation (BKSAP) of the House of Representatives​​​​​​​ (DPR), Fadli Zon (left), and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Friday (February 23, 2024). (ANTARA/HO-BKSAP DPR RI) - 

Voinews, Jakarta (ANTARA) - Chairperson of the Committee for Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation (BKSAP) of the House of Representatives (DPR), Fadli Zon, has underlined the need to boost connectivity and people-to-people connections between Indonesia and Azerbaijan.

"Relations between Indonesia and Azerbaijan have been quite strong so far, but we need to increase connectivity and people-to-people connections," he said during a bilateral meeting with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, according to an official statement received here on Saturday.

The two countries need to increase connectivity and people-to-people connections in social, cultural, economic, and other strategic aspects, Zon expounded.

One of the things that needs to be highlighted, he said, is the potential for tourism cooperation, considering that Indonesia is the largest archipelagic country in the world with a host of tourism potentials.

As one of the initiators of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), a global forum for countries committed to peace who are not in alliance with any bloc, Indonesia has its own space in the international arena, Zon observed.

He said that Indonesia has become a role model for countries that uphold the principle of being free and active in their foreign policy.

According to him, through the Bilateral Cooperation Group (GKSB) of the DPR-Parliament of Azerbaijan, the two countries have knitted a fairly close interaction.

"That way, it (the group) is expected to become a foundation for strengthening the bilateral cooperation framework of the two countries in order to achieve common goals," he said.

Meanwhile, Bayramov welcomed the potential for cooperation between Indonesia and Azerbaijan, especially in tourism.

He also congratulated Indonesia for having held its elections safely, peacefully, and democratically. This condition, he said, is expected to strengthen bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and Indonesia in the latter's new leadership era//ANTARA-VOI

View of Kijing Port in Mempawah District, West Kalimantan. (ANTARA/Dedi) - 

Voinews, Pontianak (ANTARA) - Pelindo II Pontianak General Manager, Hambar Wiyadi, stated that Poland expressed a high level of interest in palm shells in West Kalimantan to be used as raw material source for producing its renewable energy.

"The Polish Embassy has visited West Kalimantan and seen port activities. They are interested in the potential of palm shells as raw materials for renewable energy," Wiyadi remarked in Pontianak, Saturday.

He explained that from the port side, export activities to various countries are ready, especially through the Kijing Terminal Port in Mempawah District.

"Dwikora Port cannot be docked by large ships because it is shallow. However, Kijing Port allows depths of up to 16 meters," he remarked.

Meanwhile, Deputy Head of Mission of the Polish Embassy, Piotr Firlus, stated that so far, Poland has received energy sources, such as coal from Indonesia, which is from Kalimantan and Sumatra.

Currently, environmentally-friendly energy sources, such as palm shells, are being explored.

"We saw and heard that West Kalimantan is a fairly large producer of palm shells and has a new port that is quite large and can accommodate large ships. Hence, this is a great potential for synergy with each other," he affirmed.

He explained that the Republic of Poland is a country located in the central European continent. Rusia's war with Ukraine has had an impact on the need for energy supplies, both for industry and households.

As extreme temperatures are recorded in Poland during winter, it requires extensive energy supplies for fulfilling the people's needs.

"To meet these needs, Poland still has a bit of dependency, where import and export activities to meet the needs of the Polish population mostly still go through the Rotterdam Port of Dutch because there is the center of transshipment for large ships and the center of the energy industry," he explained//ANTARA-VOI