Jakarta, The Indonesia Post – Chairperson of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR) Puan Maharani encouraged increased cooperation between the Indonesian and British parliaments.
“I believe that increasing parliamentary contact to parliament through regular inter-parliamentary dialogue is also important for the improvement of our bilateral relations,” said Puan Maharani while meeting British House Speaker Sir Lindsay Harvey Hoyle ahead of the opening of the Parliamentary Speakers Summit (P20) , in the DPR Leadership Room, Nusantara III Building, Parliament Complex, Senayan, Jakarta, Tuesday.
According to Puan, the House of Representatives has formed 102 Bilateral Cooperation Groups with parliaments of friendly countries, including the British Parliament.
Puan then asked for support from the British Parliament to consistently and sustainably support Indonesia’s territorial integrity.
“This is related to the actions of individuals or groups in the UK advocating actions against Indonesia’s territorial integrity, especially in Papua,” said Puan.
She also hopes that the two countries can take advantage of the Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO) forum to seek to increase Indonesia-UK economic and trade cooperation in a sustainable and mutually beneficial manner.
“I hope that the cooperation between Indonesia and the UK will focus on the green economy sector, such as investment and development of environmentally friendly technologies for economic transition,” said the former Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture.
Puan also welcomed the cooperation in developing a low-carbon transportation program agreed by the Governments of Indonesia and the UK, which was launched on 5 July in Jakarta. Appreciation is also given for the close relationship in the defense sector.
“At the global level, I hope that the cooperation between Indonesia and the UK can also be enhanced. I appreciate the cooperation and collaboration between Indonesia and the UK to strengthen multilateralism (rejecting unilateralism) and a collaborative approach in overcoming global problems,” she said.
Deputy Chairman of the Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation Agency (BKSAP) Gilang Dhielafararez who attended the meeting revealed that the bilateral meeting between Puan and Sir Lindsay Harvey Hoyle also discussed the issue of visa processing for Indonesian citizens who wish to visit the UK.
“In the past, visa processing to the UK took about 10 days, now it can take 6-7 weeks. The Chairperson of the House of Representatives hopes that visa processing can be accelerated, especially now that many of our students are studying in the UK,” said Gilang. (mhn/bbs)
Comment