"We also want to directly know the existence of various universities in Indonesia."Yogyakarta (ANTARA News) - The council of rectors of Argentina is exploring a cooperation in education with the provincial administration of Yogyakarta, its delegation leader Rodolfo de Vincenzi said here Friday.
"Our visit aims to explore the possibility of establishing educational cooperation between Argentina and some regions in Indonesia including Yogyakarta," he added.
According to Rodolfo the meeting with the governor of Yogyakarta Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X was the first step in an effort to cooperate.
"We also want to directly know the existence of various universities in Indonesia and to strengthen the ties of brotherhood," he said.
Meanwhile, the Sultan said the visit was expected not to be limited to assessment of the cooperation in the field of education but also develop in the field of culture and commerce as the education in Yogyakarta gabe an emphasis on culture-based education.
According to the governor there are currently more than 138 higher education institutions both private and state owned in Yogyakarta.
The University of Gadjah Mada (UGM) is the oldest public university with 45,000 students and the University of Islam Indonesia (UII) is the oldest private university that was founded in 1949.
He said Yogyakarta is the second tourist destination after Bali since the region has many interesting attractions such as Prambanan temple and Ngayogyakarta palace.
In addition, several beaches in the south of Yogyakarta and Mount Merapi which is the world`s most active volcano are also attractions for foreigners to visit.
According to the Sultan, in handicraft trade some products made in Yogyakarta have entered the export markets like the Netherlands, Japan, and Germany. However export to South America is still relatively small.
Argentina is expected to open a cultural institution in Yogyakarta as has been done by several countries such as England, the Netherlands, France, and Japan.
"It is in order to initiate the cooperation so that communication can be established between the two countries through cultural institutions," he said.
(T.KR-LWA/A014)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
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