This was conveyed at a diplomatic reception held by the Indonesian Embassy in Dublin, Ireland, to commemorate the 73rd anniversary of the Independence of the Republic of Indonesia.
According to a statement from the Indonesian Embassy in London received by Antara here, Thursday, the reception was attended by Deputy Secretary General of the Ireland`s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Brendan Rogers, as the guest of honor.
In his remarks, Ambassador Sukma said it took time to building awareness of Indonesia among the Irish people.
Hence, he realized that as an ambassador, his role was crucial to promote Indonesia in Ireland.
"Since the enactment of a visa-free policy by the Indonesian government, the number of Irish tourists visiting Indonesia has been increasing," he noted.
According to the ambassador, the cooperation between Indonesia and Ireland in the field of education is also important. Although the number of Indonesian students in Ireland is not as many as in other countries, the growth in Indonesian students` interest in continuing their education in the country has increased.
"The recent signing of the education cooperation between Indonesia and Ireland is expected to increase the number of Indonesian students studying in Ireland," the ambassador stated.
Some areas of education that are of interest to Indonesian students in Ireland include food technology, information technology, medicine, finance, and telecommunications.
The diplomatic reception was enlivened by a performance of a Gamelan Orchestra group from the Dublin National Concert Hall led by Peter Moran. This show indicated that Indonesia and Ireland have a strong foundation of people-to-people contact.
Gamelan is a traditional instrumental ensemble of Indonesia, typically including several bronze percussion instruments.
"This group has just returned from Indonesia after participating in the International Gamelan Festival in the country," the ambassador stated.
Since the gamelan musical show was performed in Ireland in 2012, there are now some seven gamelan groups in several major Irish cities, including Cork, Dublin, and Galway.
In the multilateral arena, Ambassador Sukma asserted that Indonesia and Ireland share high attention in maintaining global peace and security.
"At present, Indonesian and Irish peacekeepers are working side-by-side in Lebanon," he noted.
The ambassador expressed gratitude to the Irish government for its support in Indonesia`s candidacy as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the 2019-2020 period.
"Indonesia is also ready to support Ireland`s nomination for the UNSC member for the 2020-2021 period," he said.
Meanwhile, Irish Deputy Secretary General of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Rogers said he was pleased with the development of cooperation between the two countries.
Since the establishment of the Irish Embassy in Jakarta five years ago, various opportunities for bilateral cooperation between the two countries are widely opened.
Rogers said the Irish education minister and agriculture minister will visit Indonesia in the near future.
Next year is the commemoration of 35 years of bilateral relations between Indonesia and Ireland.
Relations between people and cooperation in the field of education of the two nations remain the basis of bilateral cooperation between Indonesia and Ireland. Meanwhile, economic cooperation is also considered promising although both countries are new trading partners.
Since 2013, the total value of trade between the two countries has increased. Complementary economic relations and the implementation the Indonesia-EU Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement negotiation are expected to boost the business sectors of the two countries based on the available opportunities.
Reporting by Zenita Gibbon
Editing by Libertina W Ambari
Reporter: Antara
Editor: Suharto
Copyright © ANTARA 2018
