Fajarasia.co – The Speaker of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Puan Maharani, met with the Speaker of the Senate of the Netherlands, Jan Anthonie Bruijn. In the meeting with the Chair of the Dutch Parliament, Puan mentioned a number of things, including the issue of Papua, which is often criticized by the windmill country.
The meeting between Puan and the Chair of the Dutch Parliament was held on the sidelines of the 8th G20 Parliamentary Speakers’ Summit (P20) at the DPR Building, Senayan, Jakarta, Thursday (6/10/2022). The House of Representatives hosted the meeting of parliamentary leaders of the G20 countries.
“Diplomatic relations between Indonesia and the Netherlands have a very long history and have gone through various ups and downs. However, we should be grateful because currently the relations between Indonesia and the Netherlands are getting more harmonious in various priority areas,” said Puan when she met Jan Anthonie Bruijn.
These priority areas include trade and investment, defense and security, water resources management, maritime affairs, and infrastructure. Puan said the Netherlands is one of the main trading partner countries and also an important investment or investment partner for Indonesia.
“The Joint Declaration on Comprehensive Partnership that has been agreed since 2013 has resulted in a comprehensive increase in cooperation between the two countries in many fields,” he said.
Puan also highlighted the recent intensification of interactions between Indonesia and the Netherlands, both at the level of heads of state/government, ministers and government officials, and business delegations. The value of bilateral trade between Indonesia and the Netherlands in 2021 will increase by almost 40 percent compared to 2020.
“The Netherlands is Indonesia’s bridge to the European Union. We really appreciate the Dutch attitude towards the issue of banning palm oil by prioritizing dialogue and cooperation,” said Puan.
“Similarly, the support from the Netherlands in accelerating the negotiations between the Indonesia-European Union Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IUE-CEPA), which is currently entering its 11th round,” added the first woman who served as Chair of the Indonesian House of Representatives.
Furthermore, Puan representing the DPR RI expressed her appreciation for the consistent support from the Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, including the Dutch Parliament, for the territorial integrity of Indonesia.
The grandson of the Proclaimer of the Republic of Indonesia, Bung Karno, emphasized that Indonesia has a high commitment to promoting and protecting human rights in Indonesia. Including, said Puan, in the provinces of Papua and West Papua.
“Indonesia is very open to sharing and exchanging views with its partners, in a constructive dialogue,” he stressed.
Through inter-parliamentary cooperation in international forums, including through the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), Puan assessed that the Indonesian Parliament and the Dutch Parliament also need to play the role of parliamentary diplomacy.
“This includes participating in the pursuit of international peace and security, including participating in seeking a peaceful settlement of the war in Ukraine,” said Puan.
In addition to the Chair of the Dutch Parliament, Puan today also held a bilateral meeting with the Speaker of the Turkish Parliament, Mustafa Sentop. On that occasion, he referred to Turkey as an old friend and strategic partner who both have advantages in their respective regions.
“Relations between Indonesia and Turkey have a very long history, long before it was formalized in 1950, namely since 1479 through the Inauguration of Raden Patah as Khalifatullah in Tanah Jawi by the Sultan of Turkey,” said Puan.
Regarding the cooperation between Indonesia and Turkey, the DPR also views the defense industry as one of the areas of cooperation with great potential to be developed. For this reason, Puan hopes that the cooperation agreement between the two countries will be intensified in the hope of strengthening collaboration and exploring new fields of cooperation in the defense industry.
“Because the two countries have different and complementary defense industry capabilities. The DPR also supports the agreement between the two countries to develop joint production for other products, such as Marine Assault Vehicles and airplanes,” explained the former Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture.
In addition, Puan urged that the finalization and plan to sign the Defense Cooperation Agreement between Indonesia and Turkey be completed immediately.
In a meeting with the parliamentary leaders of the Netherlands and Turkey, Puan mentioned the importance of cooperation that focuses on sectors that have not been strengthened so far. Especially in areas that are priority issues of P20.
“Such as green economy (green economy) through investment and development of environmentally friendly technologies for economic transition. Then the blue economy cooperation through marine and fisheries cooperation is more optimal,” he explained.
According to Puan, further cooperation could be developed, such as in terms of food security through cooperation in the modernization of agriculture and animal husbandry. Next is cooperation related to climate change and energy transition, through the exchange of experiences, training programs, pilot projects, introductions and demonstrations, technology transfer in terms of adaptation and mitigation of climate change and renewable energy.
“And various other important issues, such as the health sector, gender equality issues, MSMEs and startups, cooperation in halal products, and the achievement of SDG’s targets in 2030,” concluded Puan.****
