TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Embassy of Belgium in Jakarta celebrated King`s Day in Jakarta, hosted by Ambassador Patrick Herman at the Belgian residence in Menteng, Central Jakarta, on Thursday.

Ambassador Herman, pointed out in his opening remarks during the reception that Belgium and Indonesia have been enjoying a mutually beneficial relations in various sectors, particularly in trade and economy.

"I do believe that free trade should be fair, so I do not want to talk about how Indonesian palm oil is banned for entry into the European market; but the fact is that more and more palm oil products from Indonesia, which have been certified, are available in Belgium," he stated.

The Belgian envoy emphasized that both government of the two countries will work together to ensure that trade and economic relations can generate mutual benefit for the people of both countries.

Herman added that the commitment to strengthen economic cooperation with Indonesia was gestured by the visit of Princess Astrid of Belgium last year, when she brought a large business delegation along to invest and seek cooperation in Indonesia.

Besides the economic sector, Herman highlighted the candidacy of Belgium and Indonesia to be a Non-Permanent Member of the United Nations Security Council for 2019-2020.

"We will not compete with each other because we run for it in different regions; hence, I do hope we both could be selected as non-permanent members, so that we can work more for peace together," he remarked.

The King`s Day celebration in Jakarta was attended by Indonesian Minister of Research, Technology and Higher Education Muhammad Nasir as the guest of honor.

After conveying King`s Day wishes to the government and people of Belgium, Nasir mentioned a brief progress on medical education cooperation between Belgian institution and University of Indonesia.

"The cooperation is important as the Indonesian government is trying to improve the quality of the faculty of medicine graduates from Indonesian universities," he revealed.

Some honorable guests also attended the evening receptions, including Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry`s chairman, Roslan Roeslani, and former industrial minister during president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono`s administrative, Saleh Husin.

ANTARA