Indonesia-European Parliamentary Friendship Group launched 

Indonesia European Parliamentary Friendship Group Launching Event, 9 November 2021. Source: Indonesian Embassy in Brussels document

On 9 November 2021, the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Brussels in cooperation with the European Parliament launched the Indonesia-European Parliamentary Friendship Group (IEPFG) for the 2021-2024 period, Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced in this joint press release.

IEPGH is a forum for dialogue and communication between Indonesia and the European Union (EU) to further establish mutual understanding and to address various issues of common concern.

The establishment of the IEPFG shows that Indonesia and the EU value the crucial role of Parliaments, as an important partner of their respective executive branches in charting the course and overseeing the implementation of policies, the Ministry said. 

The Indonesia-EU long-standing relationship is underpinned by the shared values of diversity, democracy, and development, which may contribute positively to the achievement of the UN Sustainable Developments Goals (SDGs) 2030. Hence, the IEPFG aims to enhance such relations, based on the principles of sovereignty, mutual respect, tolerance, equality, and non-discrimination, which are enshrined in the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) which entered into force in May 2014.

Both Indonesia and the EU play valuable roles in regional as well as multilateral frameworks. As the EU moves towards a more comprehensive strategy for cooperation in the Indo-Pacific; as the incoming Chair of the G-20 in 2022 and as the Chair of ASEAN in 2023; as a beacon of democracy in Southeast Asia with a vibrant economy; as the largest Muslim population in the world, Indonesia continues to be recognized as an important partner for the EU.

Within the 2021-2024 period, the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Brussels and the IEPFG will work together to arrange collaborative activities, including but not limited to, regular exchanges of views and visits between the Indonesian and the European Parliaments as well as other related parties, to discuss thematic topics of mutual interests, such as vaccine cooperation, trade, investment, environmental management, counterterrorism, deradicalization, democracy, etc.

​The IEPFG 2021-2024 is the third period, a continuation after its initial establishment in 2010 and in 2016.

About Gregers Møller

Editor-in-Chief • ScandAsia Publishing Co., Ltd. • Bangkok, Thailand

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