During the first Astana Think Tank Forum on October 16, a memorandum was signed between the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia (FPCI), an independent foreign policy organization in Indonesia.
The meeting involved discussions between the Director of the KazISS Yerkin Tukumov and the FPCI Founder Dino Patti Djalal on various bilateral cooperation issues, with an emphasis on strengthening ties between Kazakhstan and Indonesia. Yerkin Tukumov commended FPCI’s work in diplomacy, climate, interfaith harmony, and collaboration with universities. He also expressed interest in the main areas of the Community’s work and Kazakhstan’s readiness to initiate expert online meetings on relevant topics.
«We see great potential for expanding our cooperation in various areas, – noted Yerkin Tukumov. – Kazakhstan and Indonesia, being the largest economies in their regions, have a lot to offer each other».
He mentioned Indonesia’s success in strengthening the social system and implementing programs aimed at improving the well-being of the population. These programs include Family Hope Program, Basic Food Card, Cash Social Assistance, Village Cash Transfer, Pre-Employment Program, Productive Assistance for MSMEs, as well as a large-scale health insurance program (National Health Insurance & Healthy Indonesia Card), which covers 84% of the population.
Dino Patti Djalal emphasized the importance of cultural and educational exchanges between the two countries. «We must strengthen the dialogue between our societies to better understand each other and find new points of contact», – he said.
The parties discussed the possibilities of expanding trade and economic relations between Kazakhstan and Indonesia, including investment, trade, and joint projects. They also highlighted the importance of academic cooperation, student and scholar exchanges, and joint research. The meeting participants emphasized the need to strengthen cultural ties and exchange experiences in the fields of art and literature.
At the end of the meeting, a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed between the KazISS and the Indonesian Foreign Policy Community, which, according to the parties, will contribute to the development of bilateral relations between Kazakhstan and Indonesia.
«The signing of this memorandum is an important step in strengthening our partnership. We are confident that our cooperation will contribute to the further development of relations between Kazakhstan and Indonesia», – emphasized Yerkin Tukumov.
For reference only: Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia (FPCI) is an independent and non-partisan foreign policy organization based in Jakarta, Indonesia. FPCI’s aim is “to promote and shape positive Indonesian internationalism throughout the nation and to the world”. FPCI is dedicated to the study of the most pressing foreign policy issues in relation to Indonesian foreign policy, ASEAN, the Indo-Pacific, geopolitics, climate, middle powers, geo-economics, interfaith, and diaspora.
