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Indonesia, Netherlands agree to forge more equitable ties
Through the signing of the agreement, Indonesia has started a new chapter of cooperation that supports initiatives the Netherlands has been upholding for many years, such as human rights, through demonstrating Jakarta’s commitment to providing equality for women and being more involved in peacekeeping.
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Royal tour: Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima arrive at Halim Perdanakusuma International Airport in East Jakarta on Monday. On their four-day trip to Indonesia, they will visit Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Kalimantan and Sumatra. (JP/Wendra Ajistyatama)
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eginning this year, the Netherlands has stopped providing development aid to a number of countries, including Indonesia. But the Dutch have promised to replace the arrangement with a new cooperation initiative intended to bring the partners into a different, more equal phase of relations. The new relationship will be top of mind as the Dutch king begins his state visit to Indonesia.
Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi confirmed this on Monday, saying that both sides had been engaged in numerous cooperation initiatives and that it was “not merely Indonesia asking for something from the Netherlands”.
“They acknowledge the efforts we have been making so far, [...] so we have to place ourselves in the shoes of a mutual collaborator and no longer a recipient of assistance,” Retno told reporters after a meeting with Dutch counterpart Stef Blok in Jakarta.
In a recent interview with The Jakarta Post in The Hague, Dutch Foreign Minister Blok expressed optimism about the new chapter of bilateral relations, saying that the end of aid did not mean that the two countries would cooperate less.
Indonesia and the Netherlands, he said, would continue to work together in important areas where they faced the same challenges, including coastal protection, water and waste treatment and maintaining strong people-to-people bonds.
During the bilateral meeting in Jakarta, Retno and Blok raised a number of bilateral issues and inked an agreement on diplomatic training cooperation, in addition to discussing preparations for Dutch King Willem-Alexander’s three-day state visit beginning on Tuesday.
The ministers also signed a letter of intent to cooperate on the topic of women in peace and security in the future.
