Indonesia has just held a dialog with Afghan women, both from rural and urban areas, to improve their capacity, and we will continue to hold such dialogs.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - State Secretary to Prime Minister of Sweden Karin Wallensteen commended Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi for aggressively promoting women's role in maintaining global peace and security.

Wallensteen made the remarks at a meeting with Marsudi on the sidelines of the 14th Asia-Europe Ministerial Meeting held in Madrid, Spain, on Monday.

"Indonesia has just held a dialog with Afghan women, both from rural and urban areas, to improve their capacity, and we will continue to hold such dialogs," the minister noted in a written statement released on Tuesday.

The different emphasis on providing training to urban and rural Afghan women drew a warm welcome from Sweden.

Both nations were on the same page over establishing cooperation in promoting the role of women in maintaining global peace and security, including likely collaboration in women's mediator network between the two continents.

At the meeting, they also concurred on capitalizing on the momentum offered in celebrating seven decades of bilateral relations between Indonesia and Sweden in 2020 to deepen cooperation in various fields.

They also discussed the Swedish prime minister's plan to visit Indonesia to make the most of the momentum.

Furthermore, they discussed the possibility of collaboration in combating terrorism when Indonesia chairs the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in August 2020.

Sweden is one of Indonesia's biggest partners in Europe and the Nordic region. The rise in the number of Swedish tourist arrivals and the presence of tens of Swedish companies in Indonesia have contributed to the transfer of technology and the creation of job opportunities for thousands of Indonesia's skilled workers.

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Translator: Yashinta Difa Pramudyani/Suhar
Editor: Sri Haryati
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