Deputy chair of the Committee for Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation at the House of Representatives (DPR RI), Putu Supadma, has expressed the hope that Indonesia-United States relations will continue to be beneficial for their citizens.
“We hope Indonesia and the United States’ inter-parliamentary relations and cooperation in other sectors could provide greater benefit and prosperity for citizens of both countries,” Supadma stated at a press conference in the Parliament Complex, Jakarta, on Friday.
He earlier accompanied the House Deputy Speaker Lodewijk Paulus in welcoming the chair of the US House of Representatives’ Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, Central Asia, and Nonproliferation, Ami Bera.
Supadma lauded the meeting of the representatives of both countries’ parliaments and described it as momentum for enhancing Indonesia-US relations and intensifying cooperation on COVID-19 handling, and in the trade, health, and defense sectors.
“The United States is the third most populous country, while Indonesia follows in the fourth place; however, Indonesia and the United States are the first and second-largest democratic countries,” the legislator noted.
He expressed hope of enhanced relations in the democracy sector between both countries, saying the United States has the opportunity to have Indonesia as its main partner in Southeast Asia and the Asia-Pacific region.
Meanwhile, Representative Bera informed that his visit was supposed to take place six months earlier, but was delayed due to the COVID-19 situation in both countries.
Indonesia and the United States have faced great challenges in controlling the pandemic, and cooperation between both countries must be enhanced in the future, he said.
“The US Congress hopes for continued cooperation with Indonesia on vaccine procurement for defeating the COVID-19 pandemic,” he added.
The US representative reiterated Indonesia’s important role in Southeast Asia, saying the United States is committed to collaborating with Indonesia for establishing a peaceful, prosperous, and stable Indo-Pacific region.
DPR RI Commission I member Dave Akbarshah Fikarno and PDI-P Parliamentary Caucus member Charles Honoris also attended the meeting on Friday.
Source: Antara News