Indonesia-EU:
Boosting economic relations, spreading tolerance
Retno LP Marsudi ;
Foreign Minister of Indonesia
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JAKARTA POST, 19
April 2016
This
week, four European capitals — Berlin, London, Brussels and The Hague — will
welcome President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, who has embarked on a five-day trip
to the continent.
In
Brussels, President Jokowi’s visit marks a historic new chapter in Indonesia-European
Union relations. As the first visit by a sitting Indonesian president to EU
institutions, the President will hold important talks with all three EU
presidents, namely the European Parliament president, European Council
president and European Commission president.
The
visit will bolster cooperation between Indonesia and the EU, one of the
country’s long-time traditional partners, as reflected in the 2009
EU-Indonesia Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) — the first EU
treaty in Southeast Asia and the first after the Lisbon Treaty.
Let
us take bilateral economic relations as a yardstick. At US$26.2 billion in
total trade, the EU is Indonesia’s fourth largest trading partner. Total
investment from the EU — at around $2.3 billion — is Indonesia’s third
largest investor. Almost 1 million tourists from Europe also visited
Indonesia last year.
These
figures show Indonesia’s position as a key EU partner in the region, and vice
versa.
The
visit from President Jokowi will not only reinforce formal economic ties
through avenues such as the launch of negotiations for the Indonesia-EU
Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). It will also promote
business-to-business collaborative projects, as a good number of deals are
expected to be signed during the visit.
The
visit is also about meeting common strategic interests.
Both
Indonesia and the EU are confronted with changing global and regional
strategic landscapes, including the results of protracted conflicts in the
Middle East and North Africa. The two parties have to deal with the impacts
of these changes including increased irregular migration and influxes of
asylum seekers.
Both
have also been victims of acts of terrorism, which in Europe has resulted in
renewed negative sentiments against Islam — a growing Islamophobia.
As
home to the world’s largest modern and tolerant Muslim population, a
democratic Indonesia is a natural partner for Europe to confront such new
challenges.
We
can exchange our respective experiences and learn from each other in dealing
with these pressing issues.
Accordingly,
Indonesia can offer Europe its best practices and lessons on at least two
issues.
The
first is confronting the issue of terrorism and extremism.
The
recent terror attacks in Jakarta’s Thamrin area and in Brussels have shown
that Indonesia — a Muslim-majority country — and Europe, with a non-Muslim
majority, are both victims of terrorism. No country is immune from this
threat. Muslims and non-Muslims have fallen due to such heinous acts.
It
shows that terrorism knows no religion and respects no nationality. It shows
that the ideology of extremism and radicalism are influencing the violence
perpetrated by those terrorists.
Therefore,
the growing Islamophobia is counterproductive to our common pursuit of peace
and prosperity. The Islamic world as well as the rest of the world must work
together more closely to combat this common enemy.
In
doing so, Indonesia practices a mix of hard and soft approaches.
The
hard approach is conducted through law enforcement and effective
counterterrorism methods. The soft approach, on the other hand, is carried
out through sociocultural and economic empowerment, deradicalization programs
and interfaith dialogue. In other words, winning hearts and minds.
The
presence of an active and strong civil society in this regard is a must.
Indonesia’s
assets such as the Islamic organizations Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and
Muhammadiyah, which have championed religious harmony by engaging other
faiths, have been critical partners in this effort.
Furthermore,
as home to the Jakarta Centre for Law Enforcement Cooperation (JCLEC),
Indonesia will continue promoting stronger law enforcement, information
sharing and capacity building cooperation with its European colleagues.
Indonesia
and Europe must work together to end this once and for all by continuously
promoting the values of tolerance and moderation, as well as through better
law enforcement cooperation.
Those
are the messages that President Jokowi will take to the four European
capitals.
Additionally,
his visit can also serve as an opportunity for Europe to better understand
the true meaning of Islam as a blessing for the whole universe.
The
second issue relates to a better response to the matter of irregular
migration.
The
refugee crisis in Europe and the sudden movement of migrants in the Andaman
Sea last May have opened our eyes to the magnitude and complexity of our
common problem.
However,
while Europe continues to face growing negative sentiments, sensitivity and
concerns over the issue of irregular migrants, our region has managed to
prove that dialogue, consultation and cooperation in response to immediate
challenges, such as irregular migration through the Bali Process, can be very
effective.
Against
this backdrop, Indonesia last month hosted the Sixth Ministerial Conference
of the Bali Process, a regional consultative forum to address irregular
migration, asylum seekers and refugee issues.
The
conference agreed to establish a special mechanism to address emergency
situations and sudden movements of irregular migration as well as working
together to address its root causes. Without peace, stability and prosperity
in migrants’ countries of origin, this problem will continue.
During
his visit, President Jokowi will underscore that Indonesia and Europe can
work together to address the problem of irregular migration, particularly in
helping to address its root causes.
In
cooperation with relevant international organizations, Indonesia and the EU
can help to address the issue of irregular migration, putting humanitarian
considerations first in responding to emergency situations and the sudden
movement of persons.
To
sum up, Indonesia and Europe can learn from each other, especially as we
share many interests and face similar challenges. ●
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