Dear Readers!
As we are all dealing with another COVID wave, at the Embassy we try to make the best out of it, working offline when we can, online if we have to.
In the offline category, in my economic field of work I actually do see a slow trickle of Dutch entrepreneurs making the trip to Indonesia again. With quarantine requirements shortening, I am sure that it will develop into the steady stream it used to be. Betting on that, we hope to communicate new dates for our long awaited trade mission to North Sumatra soon!
Dutch government delegations are already traveling in for G20 gatherings whenever they can, underlining our support for the Indonesian Presidency. By now we welcomed colleagues from the Prime Minister’s Office, the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Many will follow, including Dutch Ministers, preparing for the G20 Summit on Bali in November. Our deputy Ambassador Ardi Stoios-Braken and other panelists told all about it in a virtual session of Dutch Business Network last month.
These incoming visitors may be the first cautious signs of “normalization”, something I am sure we are all very much looking forward to. In the meantime, coming month we will pay special attention to international women’s day (8 March) and the role of gender in climate change discussions. The G20 will continue to keep us busy, as well as talks on energy transition cooperation with Indonesia.
Of course we will report on all these activities in this newsletter in due time. For now, I hope you will enjoy reading this current edition of “Happenings”!
Best regards,
Joost Nuijten
Deputy Head of the Economic Department
