“President Joko Widodo” Street in Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi, MINA – During his visit to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Wednesday Indonesian President Joko Widodo directly inspected a road called “President Joko Widodo” Street.
According to the Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia (Ambassador RI) to the UAE, Husin Bagis, the naming of President Joko Widodo’s street is an acknowledgment and high appreciation for Indonesia.
“We must be proud and grateful to Mohammed Bin Zayed because it is an acknowledgment, a high respect for Indonesia, because there are not many street names here with the names of foreigners. Like there is a Saudi King, there is a French. Only two or three, nothing else. So, we should be proud of that,” said Ambassador Husin.
According to the figure who was a trade attache for 14 years, the naming of the road was a direct initiative of the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Previously, the name of this street was Al Ma’arid Street which connected Jalan Rabdan with Tunb Al Kubra street.
President Joko Widodo street was inaugurated on October 19, 2020 by the Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Office, Sheikh Khalid Bin Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The approximately 2.5 kilometer long road is located on one of the main roads, which divides the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center (ADNEC) with the embassy area. The area is a strategic area occupied by a number of diplomatic representative offices, such as the Embassy of the United States, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and so on.
Instead, the Indonesian government changed the name of the Jakarta-Cikampek Elevated Toll Road or the Jakarta-Cikampek II Elevated Toll Road to Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed (MBZ) Flyover. The name change was inaugurated by Minister of State Secretary Pratikno, on Monday, April 12, 2021.
Not only giving the name of the street, but also Prince MBZ also built a mosque which was named the President Joko Widodo Mosque. The location of the mosque is on President Joko Widodo street, which President Joko Widodo also crossed during the visit.
According to Ambassador Husin, the mosque was originally a small mosque which was later demolished and the President Joko Widodo Mosque was built. In the original plan, the mosque would be built with a capacity of 1,000-1,200 worshippers.
“But it was changed again by Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed to around 2,500-3,000 people. So, the mosque is bigger and more luxurious,” said Ambassador Husin.
The mosque will stand on an area of approximately 3,766 square meters and will be built with funding from the UEA. Construction of the mosque will begin in November 2021 and is targeted for completion in February 2023.
On President Joko Widodo street, the new Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia building is also being constructed. According to Ambassador Husin, currently the construction has reached almost 35 percent and is targeted for completion by the end of August 2022.
“After completing the project, filling it in, our target will be in October to be able to move there,” he added. The new Embassy building will be divided into three places, on the left for services (visa, passport, and so on), in the middle of the Indonesian Embassy office, and on the right the Ambassador’s house.
Husin hopes that the current friendly relationship between Indonesia and the UAE can be utilized and implemented properly by all business actors in the country.
He also hopes that the cooperation between the two countries will not only be in the economic field, but also in other fields such as education by providing scholarships, sending priests, and so on. “For example, later we send priests, we will send scholarships later, not only in the economic field. Well, if you can do more, that’s great,” he concluded. (T/RE1)
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
