President Jokowi Receives Visit from German President
Bogor, MINA – Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo received a visit from the President of the Federal Republic of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier at the Bogor Presidential Palace, West Java on Thursday.
President Steinmeier’s visit to Indonesia this time is in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Indonesia and Germany.
The visit is also intended to enhance bilateral relations in various fields ranging from investment, trade, energy transition, and cooperation between the G20 and G7.
President Jokowi hopes that the anniversary of the relationship that has existed since 1952 will become a momentum to strengthen the partnership between the two countries.
“This year we commemorate the 70th anniversary of the opening of diplomatic relations between Indonesia and Germany. This is a momentum for Indonesia and Germany to strengthen relations,” said Jokowi.
He also welcomed the various series of activities that were held in the context of the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations, including the Documenta Fifteen Exhibition which presented an artist from Indonesia, Ruangrupa.
In the bilateral meeting, the two leaders discussed a number of bilateral cooperation efforts, especially in the economic field.
“The bilateral meeting was very friendly and productive and regarding bilateral issues, we focus on talking about economic cooperation,” he said.
First, President Jokowi emphasized the importance of cooperation in Industry 4.0, especially in accelerating the development of human resources (HR).
“There has been an MoU between the Ministry of Industry and Deutsche Messe AG and with Infineon AG which will be signed this afternoon. In addition, Indonesia will become the partner country of the Hannover Messe in 2023, after also participating in the Industry 4.0 exhibition at the Hannover Messe in 2022,” he said.
Second, the two leaders discussed increasing German investment in high-tech industries, including investment in the electric vehicle sector from upstream to downstream. The Head of State invited German industry to develop semiconductor factories and invest in various green industrial areas in Indonesia.
Third, President Jokowi emphasized the strengthening of climate change cooperation. He invited Germany to be Indonesia’s partner in processing the potentials of new renewable energy sources in Indonesia.
“I appreciate Germany’s support in the construction of the Green Infrastructure Initiative worth 2.5 billion euros, the construction of the world mangrove center which was just inaugurated a few days ago, then the integration of green transmission in North Sulawesi worth 150 million euros, and the pilot project for geothermal energy development worth 300 million euros,” he said.
In 2022, Indonesia will hold the G20 presidency while Germany will hold the G7 presidency. Jokowi also encourages collaboration between the two parties, especially in the energy transition, which is a shared priority.
In addition to cooperation in the economic field, the two leaders also discussed regional and global issues, including the development of the situation in Ukraine and Indo-Pacific cooperation.
“I firmly reiterate Indonesia’s consistent position regarding the importance of respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity. For this reason, international principles and laws must be consistently adhered to, and a culture of peace and mutual respect, as well as the spirit of cooperation, need to be strengthened. I also encourage the strengthening of cooperation to overcome the impact of the Ukraine war, especially on food and energy,” said the President.
According to Jokowi, President Steinmeier is not new to him. He met in 2014 in Jakarta when President Steinmeier served as Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Meanwhile, President Steinmeier appreciated the existence of the Indonesian Digital Industry Center 4.0 (PIDI 4.0). This government institution under the Ministry of Industry (Kemenperin) was built to help industry in Indonesia transform towards industry 4.0.
“Indonesia has a unique opportunity to transform, because it has a young and digitally literate population,” he said
He believes that the availability of a vocational training system in the company is the key to success in accelerating digital transformation.
In addition to attending the Round Table Business Meeting, President Steinmeier also visited the industry 4.0 exhibition and industrial 4.0 human resource training located at the PIDI 4.0 Building. The exhibition was attended by 18 industries which are partners of PIDI 4.0 in realizing the Making Indonesia 4.0 program. Overall, PIDI 4.0 has 26 partners, consisting of 24 companies and two universities.
President Steinmeier arrived in Indonesia via Soekarno Hatta Airport, Tangerang, Banten, Wednesday at around 19.25 WIB and is planned to be in Indonesia for three days. Prior to the visit to Indonesia, the German President visited Singapore from 13 to 15 June. (T/RE1)
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
