Yogyakarta (ANTARA News) - Dutch Foreign Minister Stephanus Abraham Blok will meet his Indonesian counterpart Retno Marsudi in Jakarta on July 3, 2018, to discuss the cooperation between the Netherlands and Indonesia in the field of counterterrorism, cyber issues, and human rights.

They will also discuss political issues that are part of the UN Security Council, in which the Netherlands has a seat now. Indonesia will have a seat in the Security Council in the 2019-2020 period.

"Our shared past creates close ties. Our cooperation covers almost all areas of our foreign policy," Blok stated in a press release received by ANTARA on Thursday.

In addition to the capital, the minister will also travel to Surabaya on July 4, where he will visit a church that had recently been hit by a terrorist attack.

"As partners, the Netherlands and Indonesia stand side by side in the fight against terrorism. We want to prevent radicalization at the roots," Blok remarked.

Today, Blok invited several Dutch people with an Indonesian background to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands to exchange experiences about their relationship with the country and to speak about the opportunities for cooperation.

"In addition to our history, the cultures of the Netherlands and Indonesia are also related. Like many others in the Netherlands, the people with whom I speak today feel connected to Indonesia. This also applies to my own family," he added.

Blok`s visit on July 3 and 4, 2018, will be his first bilateral visit to Indonesia after assuming the post of foreign minister in March 2018.

Indonesia`s Foreign Ministry`s Director of Europe I, Dino Kusnadi, revealed that since Indonesia and the Netherlands have established a comprehensive and strategic partnership, the bilateral meeting will be aimed at evaluating their partnership agreement.

"In the last eight or nine years, diplomatic relations between Indonesia and the Netherlands have been dynamic. We have enjoyed robust relations, and they will continue to develop," Kusnadi pointed out during a press briefing in Jakarta on Thursday.

EDITED BY INE
(T.Y013/B/KR-BSR/A014)

Reporter: antara
Editor: Heru Purwanto
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