INDONESIA, DENMARK STRENGTHEN COOPERATION IN MARITIME FIELD by Fardah

 Jakarta, Nov 25, 2015 (Antara)- Indonesia was very much honored for welcoming Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and her husband, Prince Henrik during the state visit on October 21 -24, 2015, which marked 65 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

         During the historic visit which was aimed at strengthening the ties between the two nations, the royal couple was accompanied on their tour by Foreign Minister Kristian Jensen, Energy, Utilities and Climate Minister Lars Christian Lilleholt, and a hundred representatives from 64 Danish companies involved in the maritime, agricultural, urban, clean-tech, design and lifestyle sectors.

         During their stay in Indonesia, the Queen and the Prince of Denmark visited  three cities - namely Jakarta, Surabaya (East Java) and Yogyakarta.      
    Denmark and Indonesia used the opportunity of the Queen's visit to strengthen cooperation in four business sectors - maritime, agribusiness, urban solution and renewable energy, as well as designs and lifestyle.

         "Indonesia has the fourth largest population in the world, but the country is a secret well maintained. The more the world is aware of its potential, fostering political and economic relations with Indonesia would become a priority," Danish Ambassador to Indonesia Casper Klynge said.

         At the presence of the Queen, Foreign Minister Jensen and Coordinating Minister for Maritime and Resources Affairs Rizal Ramli signed a joint declaration on cooperation toward an innovative partnership for the 21st century, and   four memorandums of understanding (MoU) on cooperation in transportation, maritime resources, renewable energy and energy conservation, as well as on cultural cooperation.

         Indonesia and Denmark would cooperate in developing wind energy to generate electricity in Sulawesi, Ramli said after the signing.

         "Denmark has the technology to generate electricity from wind and we would develop that in Sulawesi," Rizal stated.

         The two countries would also cooperate in the development of tourism in Belitung and in a number of other maritime sectors, the minister said.

         Indonesia is one of the world's largest maritime countries, having the second longest coastline in the world with extraordinary natural wealth, he said.

         The cooperation would benefit the country in exploiting the natural wealth and in developing the country's human resources, he said.

         Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Retno LP Marsudi confirmed that the two nations agreed to strengthen cooperation in the maritime field, ranging from connectivity, ports, and infrastructure to the development of aquaculture. 
    Danish Minister Jensen said the state visit of Queen of Denmark Margrethe II to Indonesia was aimed to strengthen partnership between the two countries.

         "Indonesia and Denmark are related to each other in the international community. We are maritime nations, and we can learn from each other," Jensen affirmed.

         In the meantime, the Director of Indonesian shipping company, Pelindo II R.J Lino said the partnership between Denmark and Indonesia could assist Indonesia's maritime concept.

         "We strongly support the efforts being made by Denmark to strengthen partnership, particularly in the maritime sector. It will strengthen the implementation of Indonesia's maritime concepts and reduce national logistics cost," he remarked.

         The Danish delegation participated in a seminar on environmentally friendly technology and maritime cooperation, as well as visited the Pelindo II mega project in Tanjung Priok seaport area, North Jakarta, on October 22, 2015.

         During the seminar, businessmen and government officials in charged of the maritime field, also met to open up cooperation opportunities between the two countries.

         In addition, they also discussed effective business practices, challenges and strengthening networks in the maritime sector.

         During the meeting, they discussed four main issues related to cooperation in the fields of maritime, interfaith dialog, energy, and education.

         In the field of education, Indonesia and Denmark have agreed to cooperate in college education as Indonesia is collaborating with 14 universities in Denmark.

         In the meantime, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) welcomed Queen Margrethe II at the Merdeka Palace on October 23.

         "With the queen of Denmark, we spoke at length about batik as she is fond of batik paintings," President Jokowi noted in the company of First Lady Iriana after receiving the queen.

         The head of state reiterated that the queen of Denmark admired batik and was keen to know the amount of time required to create this Indonesian cultural heritage.

         "I explained to the queen that it took six months to make a batik painting using the diagonal stripes motif, while it took about four months for a batik painting made by using a combination of diagonal stripes and other motifs," Jokowi affirmed.

         During the meeting between President Jokowi and Queen Margrethe II, four memoranda of understanding (MoUs) were inked between the two governments.

         The MoUs cover cooperation in the fields of transportation, energy, culture, and maritime.

         However, the president remarked that cooperation with Denmark will be discussed more concretely by the relevant ministers from both countries.

         Queen Margrethe II noted that her first official visit with the prince consort, minister, businessmen, and investors to Indonesia aimed to establish mutual understanding and strengthen ties between the two countries.  
    The Indonesian Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) ranks Denmark as the 30th largest investor in Indonesia in 2015, while the Danish ambassador has said that Denmark's exports to Indonesia grew by a remarkable 34 percent during the first half of 2015, according to the Jakarta Post. ***1***
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26-11-2015 00:05:48