Ad Interim Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Erick Thohir, conveyed this while welcoming delegates to the Indonesia Night event at the OceanXplorer Research Vessel in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), on Thursday (November 30).
"The Indonesian government and OceanX have agreed to conduct joint exploration in Indonesia next year," he noted in a statement received on Friday.
Thohir remarked that OceanX is an ocean exploration initiative founded by Mark Dalio and Ray Dalio, who were among the founders of Bridgewater Associates.
The marine exploration cooperation will cover several issues, such as marine biodiversity, blue carbon, fish stock assessment, earthquake mapping, and deep sea exploration. The minister is optimistic that this exploration would unlock Indonesia's marine potential.
Apart from discovering marine potential, the collaboration with OceanX also focuses on increasing human resource capacity and building public awareness of the importance of the ocean, he stated.
"We sent 15 students from the Azores to Malta to take part in the OceanX Young Explorer Program. We also held public lectures at the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), University of Indonesia (UI), and Sepuluh November Institute of Technology (ITS)," the minister remarked.
In order to intensify the cooperation, he also invited other parties to participate in the Indonesian marine exploration to uncover untapped marine potential.
He highlighted that in the past decade, Indonesia has transformed its economic situation. The country also has in place a concrete strategy to increase development through industrialization, decarbonization, interconnection, digitalization, and economic distribution to encourage sustainable and fair economic growth.
"With this strategy, we are confident that we can become a high-income country and be listed as one of the top five economies in the world by 2045. Therefore, we invite all partners to be part of our journey to achieve our 2045 vision, namely a Golden Indonesia," he stated.
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Translator: Ade Irma J, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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