TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Chairman of the Committee for Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation (BKSAP) of the House of Representatives (DPR) Fadli Zon said that relations between Indonesia and Uzbekistan are more than just economic and trade relations, considering that both countries are countries with a majority Muslim population.

"Relations between Indonesia and Uzbekistan are inevitable as fellow Muslim-majority countries. Indonesia itself is one of the countries with the largest Muslim population in the world and the largest democratic country in the world. Therefore, relations between the two countries are more than just economic and trade relations," he said in a written statement from BKSAP received in Jakarta, Sunday.

According to Zon, Uzbekistan is a "Mecca of science" that inspire the European renaissance, proven by the work of great scientists, such as the famous 9th century scholar Imam Bukhari, the inventor of algebra Al Khawarizmi, the father of modern medicine Ibnu Sina, who all came from Uzbekistan.

Therefore, Zon fully supports the construction of a world Islamic cultural center (Center for Islamic Civilisation) in Uzbekistan because he believes that the result of the construction will become a legacy of Islamic civilisation throughout the world.

To strengthen relations between Indonesia and Uzbekistan, Zon invited Uzbekistan Parliament or Oily Majlis as an observer at the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) and the legislative and presidential election in Indonesia on February 14, 2024.

"This is important as a means to exchange experiences in building democracy in their respective countries," he said.

Zon also invited of Oily Majlis to attend the parliamentary session at the World Water Forum which will be held in Bali on May 2024.

The Uzbek Parliament welcomed this and will make efforts to fulfill the invitation. Cooperation between the two countries was also agreed to be strengthened because there are many collaboration opportunities that need to be utilized, starting from education, tourism, information technology, and defense.

DPR RI delegation led by the Chairman of the BKSAP held a meeting with the Chairman of the Defense and Security Commission of the Uzbek Parliament Salikhov Erkin Tagirovich who is also the Chairman of the Friendship Group between the Uzbek Parliament and the Indonesian Parliament at the Uzbek Parliament Complex, Tashkent City, Uzbekistan, Friday (Dec 22).

Previously, in April 2023, Zon visited Uzbekistan as an observer to witness firsthand the national referendum which changed more than half of Uzbekistan's constitution.

ANTARA

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