Chairman Of The Indonesian House Of Representatives Encourages Multi-Sectoral Cooperation In The 19th PUIC Forum

JAKARTA - The chairman of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Puan Maharani, held a bilateral meeting with the leaders of the Algerian, Bahrain, Oman and the Czech Republic in the 19th Conference of the Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States (PUIC) or the Parliamentary Association of countries that are members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OKI) at the DPR RI Building.

During the meeting, Puan invited friendly countries to strengthen Parliament's cooperation, by investing in education, tourism, defense and other collaborations. Such as sharia agriculture and sister city.

The first meeting, Puan hosted the chairman of the Algerian People's National Assembly, Ibrahim Boughali. Puan said that Indonesia-Aljazar bilateral relations have interests, including increasing energy investment, expanding trade and diversifying bilateral cooperation. He encouraged cooperation in the economic and investment fields to be strengthened.

"I encourage Indonesia to see great potential in establishing partnerships with Algeria, especially in the infrastructure, mining, and food industry sectors," said Puan, Tuesday, May 13.

According to Puan, the two countries can also encourage relations between communities through increased cooperation in the fields of education, empowerment of the younger generation and the tourism sector. Including direct flights to support tourism between the two countries.

"Cooperation in the field of education through providing scholarships to Indonesian students to study in Algeria is one of the things that can be improved," said the grandson of the proclaimer of the Republic of Indonesia.

Puan continued the meeting with the Speaker of the Bahrain Kingdom Parliament, Ahmed bin Salman Al Musalam. During the meeting, Puan said that Bahrain considered Bahrain as one of the important trading partners in the Middle East. Even Indonesia-Bahrain trade in 2024 increased by 13.8 percent from the previous year.

Puan said Bahrain has become a market for a number of Indonesian export commodities, such as motorized vehicles, paper products, wood products, food, footwear, car spare parts, garment. For this reason, he assessed that closer relations between private parties from Indonesia and Bahrain need to be encouraged, so that the potential of each country can be better recognized.

"I also invite Bahrain to invest in Indonesia, for example in the renewable energy sector. I see opportunities for economic cooperation that can be developed by involving private parties such as holding joint promotions to increase trade and investment," said Puan.

"In the field of education, several works between universities / universities between Indonesia and Bahrain have been running, especially in the fields of agriculture and sharia economy," he continued.

Puan also expressed the issue of economic cooperation when meeting the Chairman of the Shura Council of the Sultanate of Oman, Khalid Hilal Nasser Al Maawali. It is known that the value of Indonesia-Oman trade occupies the third largest position among Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member countries. Even the export value of the two countries has increased in recent years.

"I believe that with the principle of equality and mutual benefit, the potential for economic cooperation between the two countries is very possible to be maximized," he said.

Apart from the 3 OIC member countries, Puan held a bilateral meeting with the Czechs who were present at the 19th PUIC as observer countries. The Czechs themselves are not members of the OIC.

Meeting the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Czech Republic, Jan Skocek, Puan expressed her hope that the Indonesian-Ceko economic cooperation could continue to increase. Including by exploring other potential economic cooperation, such as a green economy in the form of carbon trading and carbon storage.

"Ceko is one of Indonesia's important economic partners in Central Europe, with total bilateral trade continuing to increase. The Czech Republic is also the second largest investor in Indonesia among Central European countries," said Puan.

Puan also mentioned the issue of defense cooperation during a meeting with the Czech delegation. He welcomed the efforts of the two countries that wanted to increase cooperation, from technology transfers in the defense industry to academic cooperation opportunities at the Czech Defense University.

According to Puan, this collaboration brings great benefits to both countries in facing global challenges and contributing to strengthening regional and global security.

Through this meeting, Puan also wanted to ask for support from the Czech Parliament in accelerating the I-EU CEPA negotiations. He hopes that these negotiations can be completed this year.

"I also ask for support from the Czech Parliament to fight a negative campaign against Indonesian palm oil products," he added.

Puan also welcomed Indonesia's cooperation with the country in Central Europe. Indonesia and the Czech Republic are known to form the City of Brothers (Sister City), which are rich in cultural heritage, between Yogyakarta City and Hlubok City, Nad Vitavou.

"We also need to develop cooperation in the tourism sector as part of efforts to improve inter-community relations between the two countries," said Puan.

At these bilateral meetings, Puan also emphasized the importance of strengthening solidarity between Muslim countries in facing global challenges. He conveyed the importance of the role of parliament in fighting for the values of justice, peace, and tolerance.

Puan said the solidarity between Islamic countries will not only bring benefits to Muslims, but also for peace and justice for the world as a whole.

"I hope that PUIC as a representative of the parliament of Muslim countries can play an active role in creating a world that is just, peaceful, and prosperous," he explained.

For this reason, Puan invites Muslim countries to strengthen solidarity between parliamentary Islamic countries in facing increasingly complex global challenges.

"As fellow leaders of parliamentary institutions, I hope we can be the driving force in strengthening the solidarity of Muslim countries," he concluded.