Indonesia, EU reactivate parliamentary friendship group

Indonesia and the European Union (EU) reactivated parliamentary friendship group after a meeting between Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) and European Parliament President Martin Schulz in April, according to Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi.

Marsudi said the parliamentary friendship is a forum for members of the European Parliament who wish to strengthen cooperation with Indonesia in various fields.

The Forum for the Members of European Parliament is chaired by Ana Gomes of Portugal along with two vice-chairmen, namely Jeroen Lenaers of the Netherlands and Urmas Paet of Estonia.

Marsudi in her statement underlined the growing importance of cooperation between Indonesia and the EU, which is reflected by the initiation of the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) between the two sides, which has been in force since 2014.

The EU and Indonesian Parliaments play an important role to ensure the implementation of the PCA, according to Marsudi.

In the meantime, House of Representatives Commission-I Chairman Abdul Kharis Almasyhari said the reactivation of parliamentary friendship group is a step forward in the inter-parliamentary relations.

"This reactivation stressed the importance of the involvement of stakeholders, including the Parliament, in advancing the relations between Indonesia and the EU based on mutual interest," Alamsyahri said.

Currently, the group consists of 22 members of the EU Parliament and is expected to grow in the future.

In the meantime, Indonesian Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium Yuri Thamrin welcomed the reactivation of the group and expressed commitment to facilitate the activities of this friendship group.
Source: ANTARA