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Queen Margrethe II begins historic state visit to strengthen ties

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and her husband Prince Consort Henrik have kicked off an historic state visit to Indonesia to mark 65 years of diplomatic relations and the beginning of strengthened collaboration in politics, economics and culture

Yohanna RIrihena (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Wed, October 21, 2015

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Queen Margrethe II begins historic state visit to strengthen ties

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ueen Margrethe II of Denmark and her husband Prince Consort Henrik have kicked off an historic state visit to Indonesia to mark 65 years of diplomatic relations and the beginning of strengthened collaboration in politics, economics and culture.

The royal entourage, which is traveling by private jet, is expected to arrive on Wednesday morning and spend the day at informal events. The formal programs will start on Thursday morning, when the queen is scheduled to meet with President Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo and attend a state banquet in the evening.

 Accompanied by Foreign Minister Kristian Jensen and Energy, Utilities and Climate Minister Lars Christian Lilleholt, the royal couple will spend two days in Jakarta to attend a series of events ranging from business to cultural, such as a wayang (traditional Indonesian puppet) performance and a culinary exhibition where Scandinavian and Indonesian fusion dishes will be presented.

The royal couple is also accompanied by a hundred representatives from 64 Danish companies involved in the maritime, agribusiness, urban and clean-tech and design and lifestyle sectors.

'€œThey will strengthen economic cooperation through a series of business events,'€ Danish Ambassador to Indonesia Casper Klynge said at a press briefing at his official residence in Jakarta on Tuesday.

He said that the four sectors had been carefully chosen to match the political priorities of Indonesia and areas in which Danish companies offered state-of-the-art technology solution and know-how.

He considered the state visit a blessing as it would create more access for both parties. '€œMy estimation is the state visit will bring a two-digit outcome in growth of trade. State visits matter a lot to our relationship,'€ he said.

The launch of the four-sector cooperation between Indonesia and Denmark will be held on Thursday at Tanjung Priok Port to signify the hope of deeper collaboration in the maritime sector.

Transportation Minister Ignasius Jonan and Danish Foreign Minister Kristian Jensen will sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on transportation on Thursday.

The royal couple undertakes the visit in an historic year that simultaneously marks the 70th anniversary of Indonesian independence and 65 years of diplomatic relations.

'€œIndonesia has accomplished an impressive transition to full-fledged democracy combined with impressive socioeconomic development. Today, Indonesian priority is to secure continued economic growth to address the challenges of the 21st century,'€ Klynge added.

'€œDespite having the world'€™s fourth-largest population of 250 million, Indonesia has remained a relatively well-kept secret. As the world is increasingly discovering the potential of Southeast Asia'€™s largest country, forging closer political and economic ties with Indonesia has become a priority,'€ said Klynge.

He underlined that as a sign of Indonesia'€™s position as an increasingly important trading partner, Denmark'€™s exports to Indonesia grew by a remarkable 34 percent during the first half of 2015.

The Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) ranks Denmark as the 30th largest investor in Indonesia in 2015.

Aside from business links, the two countries will also strengthen interfaith dialogue. During the visit, Jensen will participate in a roundtable discussion on the challenges posed by radicalization and terrorism with prominent Indonesian stakeholders, namely State Islamic University (UIN) graduate school director Prof. Azyumardi Azra, Wahid Center head Yenni Wahid and the chairmen of the Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah Muslim organizations.

Besides Jakarta, the royal entourage will also visit Surabaya and Yogyakarta, where the queen will hold a dialogue on topics such as education and batik with students.

In Surabaya, the prince consort will visit the Ecco shoes factory, the global leader of innovative comfort footwear. It is owned by a Danish family, but its main production center is located in Surabaya.

The royal couple only makes one or two visits per year and, with the exception of neighboring Scandinavian countries that share royal familial ties, it never visits the same country twice.

The state visit will culminate with a press conference attended by the royal couple at the Prambanan Temple compound on Oct. 24 at 4.30 p.m.

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