"It is not only the Indonesian Embassy which hosts ICF but also the Indonesian citizens in Baku," the Indonesian Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Husnan Bey Fananie, said in a statement via a short message service received by Antara here on Thursday.
The ambassador added that when he first arrived in Azerbaijan, not many local people knew Indonesia.
"But after the ICF, many people know Indonesia. Now, there are many Azerbaijani people coming to Indonesia for tourism and business purposes. That is due to our hard work," Fananie stated at a gala dinner with businessmen, community leaders, and Indonesians on Wednesday night (Sept 12) to initiate the ICF.
The gala event was attended by the Regent of Tulang Bawang Barat, Umar Ahmad; Deputy Regent of Tulang Bawang Barat, Fauzi Hasan; a representative from the Ministry of Education and Culture, Najmudin; and Indonesian jazz musician, Dwiki Darmawan.
Tulang Bawang Barat Regent Umar Ahmad noted that the district administration continued to promote traditional arts and culture to foreign countries.
"We want to intensively promote our traditional arts and cultures, so that it can `go international`," he remarked.
ICF 2018, which is held in Baku for the third time, carries a theme "Keeping the Archipelago of Greatest Culture Alive."
The two locations of the 2018 ICF are Heydar Aliyev Sarayi and Fountains Square, an outdoor shopping center that is always crowded with Azerbaijanis and foreign tourists because of its location in the middle of the Standard Formula 1 Circuit.
The 2018 ICF is attended by several Indonesian ministries, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Education and Culture, the Ministry of Tourism, the Ministry of Youth and Sports, and the Ministry of Religion.
Some entrepreneurs from Indonesia will also enliven ICF while promoting its products, such as batik, furniture, and handicrafts.
The ICF 2018 will be featuring a traditional martial arts performance, Reog Ponorogo, from East Java and music show by artsits Dwiki Darmawan, Ita Purnama Sari, and Amelia Ong.
Editing by F. Assegaf
Reporter: Libertina W. Ambari
Editor: Bambang Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2018
