TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian Vice President Ma'ruf Amin embarked on a visit to New Zealand on Sunday evening in a halal diplomacy mission.

The VP departed from the Soekarno-Hata International Airport, Tangerang at around 07:00 p.m. local time on a GA Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. He was accompanied by the Acting Governor of Banten Al Muktabar and the staff of the Communication Forum for Local Government Heads.

VP Spokesperson Masduki Baidlowi said that the visit to New Zealand was part of Ma'ruf Amin’s consistency in voicing halal diplomacy, which was aimed to “make Indonesia an important part of the halal industry”, as quoted from a Sunday’s release.

Ma'ruf Amin and his entourage would land in Auckland, and until Monday morning, Feb. 26, 2024, there were still no official reports of the VP’s arrival in New Zealand.

In New Zealand, Ma'ruf Amin would be welcomed by The Indonesian Ambassador to New Zealand, Samoa, the Kingdom of Tonga, and the Cook Islands, Fientje Maritje Suebu, and the Indonesian Defense Attaché in Wellington Col. Herwanto Setyono.

The VP is scheduled to meet with the Prime Minister of New Zealand Rt Hon Christopher Luxon, Deputy Prime Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters, as well as several other important figures.

In addition to a series of meetings, Ma'ruf Amin is also scheduled to give a public lecture on inter-religious harmony at Victory University, Wellington, on Feb. 28.

On Thursday, the Vice President and his entourage are slated to attend a Business Forum back in Auckland with the Halal Industry Sector and a National Dialogue with the Indonesian Community in New Zealand.

DANIEL A. FAJRI

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