Indonesia Opens Its Doors to KwaZulu-Natal : Concrete Cooperation Ready to be Explored
30 September 2020
Indonesia’s determination to strengthen its bilateral relationship with South Africa is now stronger than ever with the inauguration of Mr. Ebrahim Patel as Indonesia’s Honorary Consul in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, by the Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia, H.E. Mr. Salman Al Farisi on 29th October 2020. The inauguration was also attended by the Premier of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Province, The Honourable Mr. Sihle Zikalala; The Speaker of Ethekwini Municipality, Counsellor Ms. Weziwe Thusi, and Officials of KZN Province and the City of Durban.
In his remarks, Ambassador Salman Al Farisi further reaffirmed that the presence of an Honorary Consul in Durban is a reflection of Indonesia’s seriousness in developing bilateral cooperation with South Africa, particularly KZN Province, and serve as the bridge builder to connect the relevant stakeholders from the two countries, particularly in economy, trade and tourism sector. "As we all know, Durban is one of the main port city in South Africa, which has a wide market access not only into South Africa, but also to the neighbouring countries. Therefore, Indonesia sees Durban as a strategic location with many potentials that could be explored in economic cooperation”, conclude Ambassador Al Farisi.
The inauguration ceremony was then followed by two separate meeting with the Premier of KZN Province and Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Economic Development, Tourism, and Environmental Affairs, Ambassador Ms. Nomusa Dube-Ncube. In those meetings, both parties discussed the efforts to enhance post COVID-19 economic development that can be explored as well as other aspects such as sharing best practices on the role of SMEs in the national economy, and the utilization of technological advancement. Prior to the inauguration, Ambassador Al Farisi and his delegation also met with the business community in Durban to discuss other potential cooperation.
Concurrently with the official visit to KZN, the delegation of the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia has also distributed various logistical assistance, such as food and sanitary products to Indonesian citizen in Durban and Newcastle, as part of the Embassy’s “Indonesian Citizen Protection Program”. They also had the chance to meet with the Durban Port Authority to coordinate various matters related to the management of the Indonesian Seafarers.
Embassy of Indonesia in Pretoria