West Manggarai, E Nusa Tenggar (ANTARA) - Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi assisted President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) in conducting final checks on the preparations in Labuan Bajo, West Manggarai, East Nusa Tenggara, as host of the 42nd ASEAN Summit on May 9-11.

“Today, I am assisting the president in carrying out final checks on the preparations of the series of meetings of the 42nd ASEAN Summit,” Marsudi stated at Puncak Waringin, Labuan Bajo, here on Tuesday.

President Jokowi and First Lady Iriana arrived in Labuan Bajo on Saturday night (April 22, 2023). The president landed at Komodo Airport, Labuan Bajo, at 6:44 p.m. WITA (Central Indonesia Time).

The president checked several venues that will be used for the ASEAN Summit.

According to Marsudi, the series of events for the summit will already start from May 8 to May 11, 2023. Several meetings will take place during that period.

To this end, the president checked all locations for the events, including Komodo Airport.

“We are counting days. There are only two weeks left. All preparations are on the right track, and what is left are additions until D-Day,” the minister explained.

One of the locations for the series of events of the 42nd ASEAN Summit is Puncak Waringin that is set to be the venue of the Spouse Program for spouses of heads of state.

“It was checked by the President and First Lady, with several directions (conveyed) regarding the preparations of the Spouse Program,” she remarked.

Several activities to be conducted in the Spouse Program are the first ladies’ luncheon; observing the making of tenun (woven fabrics); micro, small, and medium enterprise (MSME) exhibition; and music performance of Sasando, which is a traditional string instrument native to Rote Island, East Nusa Tenggara.

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Translator: Fransiska Mariana, Raka Adji
Editor: Sri Haryati
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