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Jakarta Post

EU delegation visits N. Sumatra to boost ties

Apriadi Gunawan (The Jakarta Post)
Medan, North Sumatra
Thu, October 20, 2016

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EU delegation visits N. Sumatra to boost ties Boosting ties -- EU Ambassador to Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam Vincent Guérend (second right), accompanied by diplomats from 12 EU member countries, talks to journalists about his three-day visit shortly after they arrived at Kualanamu International Airport in Deli Serdang, North Sumatra, on Wednesday. (JP/Apriadi Gunawan)

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uropean Union Ambassador to Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam Vincent Guérend and diplomats from 12 EU member countries are sounding out possibilities for increased links with North Sumatra in a three-day visit that began on Wednesday.

Guérend said that during the visit, the EU delegation would carry out a string of activities, such as attending discussions with civil society groups on human rights, religious tolerance, environmental protection and education. The ambassador said he had discussed developments in regional politics and several social and economic issues with North Sumatra Governor T. Erry Nuradi on Wednesday.

“The EU is interested in increasing its partnership with North Sumatra and strengthen ties with Medan as the province’s capital and the center of the region,” he told journalists.

Representatives of EU member countries participating in the visit include Italian Ambassador Vittorio Sandalli, Greek Ambassador Gergios Dogoritas, Slovakian Ambassador Michal Slivovic, Hungarian Ambassador Judit Nemeth-Pach, Irish Ambassador Kyle O’Sullivan and Austrian Ambassador Helene Steinhäusl.

On the first day of their visit, Guérend and the EU diplomats opened an EU scholarship exhibition that aims to attract Indonesian students to pursue further education in European countries.

For Thursday, the delegation was scheduled to visit culture sites in Medan and attend a seminar on sustainable tourism at the University of North Sumatra, before proceeding to Belawan Port to explore its passenger and freight shipping activities.

On Friday, the delegation is scheduled to visit the Tangkahan elephant conservation unit at the Mount Leuser National Park in Langkat. During the visit, they will see a baby elephant named “Europe”, as the EU mascot in Indonesia. (ebf)

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