After signing the memorandum of understanding, Monday, Namur City Mayor Maxime Prevot informed Antara London that the sister-city agreement has bridged the gap between the two regions for developing more partnerships in future.
"The fact now is that several western countries are looking towards Asian countries and cities for developing further partnership in several sectors," Prevot remarked, while adding that he planned to visit his counterpart in Bandung next year.
Hence, he explained that the establishment of a sister-city agreement will serve as a platform to share knowledge and experiences between the two regions.
Meanwhile, Bandung City Mayor Ridwan Kamil stated soon after arriving at the Brussels Airport that he had outlined three missions in Belgium.
The missions include the signing of a sister-city partnership agreement with Namur, launching the "Little Bandung," a center to promote Indonesian products crafted by small- and middle-scale enterprises, and participating in the Europalia festival to be held this month in Belgium.
Kamil further noted that the plan to develop the Little Bandung business center was first discussed during the visit of Princess Astrid Jisephine from the Kingdom of Belgium to Bandung last year.
Some major products, such as jewelry, batik fabric, footwear, crafts, and traditional dishes, were showcased to the public at the business center.
Miya Panama, a local residing since a decade in Namur, expressed happiness on the inking of the sister-city agreement between the two regions, as the partnership would be beneficial to the people of Bandung and Namur to flourish together.
Apart from the agreement, Indonesia has also been appointed as the host country of the Europalia biennial arts event at the Mont des Arts in Brussels, Belgium, this month.
Established since 1969, the event has not only showcased art exhibitions but also other performances and workshops.
According to the Europalia official website, this years event featured some main attractions, including the presentation of Indonesian coffee, workshop on the paper cutting technique, traditional music and dance performances, as well as an exhibition on Indonesian ancestors and artifacts.
Reported by Zeynita Gibbons
(Uu. KR-GNT/INE)
EDITED BY INE/a014
(UU.KR-GNT/A/KR-BSR/A014)
Editor: Aditia Maruli Radja
Copyright © ANTARA 2017
