Sandiaga Hosts G20 Representatives Dinner Including Russia At Kempinski Jakarta

Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno gave a speech to representatives of G20 countries at the launch of the G20 Parekraf Side Event in Jakarta, Wednesday (20/4/2022). (ANTARA/Aditya Ramadhan)

JAKARTA - Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno hosted a dinner for all representatives of G20 countries, including Russia, after the launch of the G20 Parekraf Side Event at the Hotel Indonesia Kempinski Jakarta.

Sandiaga said that all representatives of the G20 countries were present and had dinner together at a long dining table with a fluid atmosphere without mentioning the slightest geopolitical issues between Russia and other countries.

The Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy said that in the dinner discussion with representatives of G20 countries, they discussed more about Indonesia's tourism and creative economy as well as joint efforts to revive the economy after being hit by a recession due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Of course we want to voice peace, we want to voice diplomacy, and tourism is something cool, something that can be universally accepted," said Sandiaga as quoted by Antara, Wednesday, April 20 evening.

Sandiaga conveyed that representatives of the G20 countries interacted with each other and had the same enthusiasm to be able to recover and be able to bounce back from the pandemic. "Earlier there were from Russia, from all the G20 countries were also present," he said.

In addition, Sandiaga spoke about the expectations of the G20 countries so that Indonesia could take the leadership in the G20 presidency in a situation full of challenging geopolitical conditions. Sandiaga emphasized that Indonesia did not want to shift from the main focus of the G20 presidency, namely Recover Together, Recover Stronger.

Especially in the tourism and creative sector, Sandiaga stated that Indonesia is one of the best tourist destinations with a diverse creative economy

Sandiaga also hopes that the G20 countries will also give their best contribution so that the G20 Presidency in Indonesia can be held successfully with substance and positive benefits for the Indonesian people.

Meanwhile, on the world stage, there is tension between western countries and Russia regarding the attitude of the Red Bear State in invading Ukraine. The geopolitical issue reportedly spread at the G20 meeting currently being held in Indonesia, where western countries plan not to attend the meeting if Russia is present.

Russia is a member of the G20 countries. The G20 countries consist of the United States, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, India, Indonesia, United Kingdom, Italy, Japan, Germany, Canada, Mexico, Republic of Korea, Russia, France, China, Turkey, and the European Union.