T

he Jordanian mission to Indonesia hosted on Wednesday evening a lavish reception for the Hashemite kingdom’s 71st independence day anniversary in South Jakarta, making it the last of such celebrations held before the holy Islamic month of Ramadhan begins this weekend.

The night’s audience was decidedly cosmopolitan, with envoys from all over the world in attendance, particularly from the Middle East and Africa. Tourism Minister Arief Yahya and United Development Party (PPP) lawmaker Syaifullah Tamliha were also seen among the crowd.

Jordanian Ambassador to Indonesia Walid Al Hadid welcomed his country’s growing relations with Southeast Asia’s largest economy, including the establishment of the Indonesia-Jordan Business Council in March this year.

The envoy also announced a number of new bilateral agreements that have been finalized and are ready to be signed, including memorandum of understanding (MOUs) on higher education and agriculture, as well as a cooperation agreement between Jordan’s Aqaba Economic Free Zone and Indonesia’s Batam Free Zone Authority (BP Batam).

There is also an agreement between Indonesia’s National Resilience Institute (Lemhanas) and the King Abdullah II Academy for Defense Studies.

“I’m also happy to announce the agreement for visa exemptions for holders of diplomatic passports will enter into force next month,” Ambassador Al Hadid said in his opening speech on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Minister Arief, who was fashionably late to the reception at the Four Seasons Hotel, noted the close and brotherly relations the countries have shared over the years.

After congratulating the Jordanian mission for a fruitful 71 years of independence from the United Kingdom, Arief underscored the importance of stronger ties in times of uncertainty, with an emphasis on promoting peace, cultural understanding and tolerance in the world.

“The world we live in today faces some of the toughest global challenges, including economic slowdown, the rise of extremism and climate change. The strong partnership between our nations is more important then ever,” he told the audience of foreign dignitaries.

Indonesia and Jordan have cooperated closely in the field of politics, tourism, trade and investment, education and culture as well as in addressing global challenges.

Indonesia’s new envoy to Jordan, Andy Rachmianto, has called the Hashemite kingdom a strategic ally for Indonesia in the Middle East, particularly in the protracted dispute between Palestine and Israel in which Indonesia has tirelessly supported the former’s independence.

Currently there are efforts to bring President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to Jordan and other neighboring countries in the region next year.

Jordanian King Abdullah II has already visited Indonesia on two separate occasions, first for a state visit in February 2014 and then to attend the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the 1955 Asian-African Conference and the New Asia-Africa Strategic Partnership (NAASP) Conference in April 2015.

Besides the king, Queen Rania of Jordan also visited Indonesia for the 4th Meeting of the High-level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda in Bali in March 2015.