"Indonesia is one of ASEAN members and therefore it should have established ASEAN study center for both domestic and foreign students who want study about ASEAN," Foreign Affairs Ministry`s Director General for ASEAN Cooperation Djauhari Oratmangun said here on Sunday.
Oratmangun made the statement at a public dialog on Realizing ASEAN Community 2015 at Gumaya Tower Hotel in Semarang, Central Java.
According to him, ASEAN member countries which already have ASEAN study center are among others Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines.
"Indonesia should have had ASEAN study center and it will start from the University of Diponegoro in Semarang," Oratmangun said.
Therefore he expressed hope that other universities in Indonesia including Diponegoro University could establish ASEAN study center.
"After attending ASEAN summit in Bali in November this year, I am planning to give a general lecture about the outcome of ASEAN summit in addition to ASEAN study center at Diponegoro University," Oratmangun said.
On the occasion Diponegoro University Rector Prof Sudharto P. Hadi said he positively welcomed the desire of the director general of ASEAN cooperation at the foreign affairs ministry.
"We are very pleased and will follow it up because it is in line with the opening of international relations study program at Diponegoro University," Sudharto said.
He predicted that the ASEAN study center could be realized in 2012.
In an effort to realize ASEAN community in the field of education, Sudharto said that cooperation in the field of higher education has been implemented in the form of students and lecturers exchange, quality assurance, international accreditation, research cooperation, and joint publication coordinated by ASEAN University Network (AUN). (*)
Editor: Kunto Wibisono
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