TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - During a state lunch held at the Government House in Wellington, New Zealand, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo made a friendly suggestion to Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy to drink Indonesian coffee.
“Don’t forget, when you want to drink coffee, drink Indonesian coffee,” said Jokowi according to a press release Tempo received on Monday, March 19.
Jokowi’s business instincts surfaced on hearing New Zealanders were coffee enthusiasts. “I immediately thought that Indonesia should be able to export more coffee to New Zealand,” said Jokowi.
Jokowi explained Indonesia was one of the worlds’ largest coffee producers with a wide array of coffee types, including the Bali Coffee, Sumatera Coffee, Java Coffee, Toraja Coffee and Luwak Coffee. He added each type of coffee had its unique, unmistakable taste.
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“I heard the Sumatera and West Java types are pretty popular here,” the president said.
In the official New Zealand state lunch, Jokowi was accompanied by First Lady Iriana. Several ministers were also present in the event, among them chief security minister Wiranto, State Secretary Pratikno, and Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi.
Jokowi said he hoped the coffee diplomacy would be able to strengthen ties between Indonesia and New Zealand that have been preserved for the past 60 years.
FRISKI RIANA
