Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia's Finance Ministry and Indonesian AID are collaborating with Laos' Ministry of Finance to organize a training program ahead of the 11th ASEAN Finance Ministers and Bank Governors (11th AFMGM) meeting in April 2024.

The training, conducted on March 25, aims to improve the capabilities and readiness of Liaison Officers (LOs) and Voluntary Officers (VOs).

Head of the Public Information and Communication Section of the Fiscal Policy Agency (BKF) of the Indonesian Finance Ministry, Endang Larasati, noted in a statement from her office on Tuesday that the training was an implementation of the Grant Cooperation Agreement between Indonesia and Laos.

This assistance is also a manifestation of Indonesia's commitment to supporting Laos' Chairmanship, she affirmed.

The training sessions were facilitated by senior diplomats from the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs focusing on the essential knowledge and skills required to ensure the effective performance of LOs.

The training was attended by 35 participants who gained insights into various aspects, including LOs' responsibilities, diplomatic protocol and etiquette, and effective communication strategies, Larasati elaborated.

There was also a sharing session from the Indonesian Ministry of Finance's employees, who earlier served as LOs at the 2022 G20 Presidency and the 2023 Indonesia's Chairmanship in ASEAN.

Deputy Director General, External Finance Department of the Ministry of Finance of Laos, Angkhansada Mouangkham, lauded the collaboration established for this training.

"This capacity-building program has helped our LOs and VOs with valuable skills and knowledge that are essential for their roles during AFMGM,” Mouangkham stated.

Laos' Finance Ministry is also looking forward to the upcoming collaboration with the Indonesian Ministry of Finance and Indonesian AID to host the ASEAN Treasury Forum (ATF) in April and the ASEAN Finance and Health Ministers' Meeting (AFHMM) in June 2024.

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Translator: Imamatul Silfia, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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