Dutch State Visit to Indonesia

~ Saad719

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of The Netherlands are on a State Visit to the Republic of Indonesia at the invitation of President Joko Widodo from March 10th to the 12th, visiting the cities of Jakarta and Yogyakarta in Java and the islands of Kalimantan and Sumatra, to celebrate and build diplomatic, economic, and cultural ties, particularly in economy, nature conservation, culture and science. After a tragic boating accident at the Sebangau National Park on Kalimantan while preparing for the State Visit, the third day of the visit in Kalimantan was cancelled and the visit ended a day earlier.

Embed from Getty ImagesEmbed from Getty ImagesEmbed from Getty ImagesEmbed from Getty Images

After arriving in Jakarta the previous afternoon and attending a meeting with members of the CEO Partnership for Economic Inclusion, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima were welcomed by Indonesian President Joko Widodo and First Lady Iriana Widodo in an official welcome ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Bogor, which followed a wreath laying at the Kalibata Cemetary. After an official Luncheon at the Presidential Palace, both the King and President gave a joint press statement.

Embed from Getty ImagesEmbed from Getty ImagesEmbed from Getty Images

In the afternoon, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima laid a wreath on the Dutch field of honour Menteng Pulo, which contains the 4,300 graves of Dutch men who died during the Second World War and the Indonesian War of Independence. They then visited the Pipiltin Cocoa Chocolate Factory, and then the King and Queen met the participants of the economic mission and were present at the signing of various cooperation agreements between Indonesian and Dutch companies. In the evening, the Royal Couple viewed a photo exhibition ‘Innovation’ at the Erasmus House, ahead of a Reception for the Dutch Community in Indonesia. 

Embed from Getty ImagesEmbed from Getty ImagesEmbed from Getty Images

On March 11th, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima attended a discussion about the opportunities and challenges for Dutch business in Indonesia before departing for Yogyakarta where they are received by the Sultan of Yogyakarta at the Kraton Nga Yogyakarta Hadiningrat Palace, where they had lunch followed by a visit to the ‘connected Kampoeng’ neighbourhood where residents have been able to jointly improve their living and living conditions thanks to the internet.

Embed from Getty Images

In the evening, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima visited the temple complex of Prambanan, the largest Hindu Javanese temple complex in Indonesia, where they spoke with various religious leaders about their activities to promote religious tolerance in Indonesia before being given a tour of the temple complex and attending part of a traditional Ramayana show and a performance by the modern music group Rubah di Selatan.

Embed from Getty Images

After the visit to Kalimantan was cancelled, on the last day of the State Visit, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima traveled to Lake Toba, where ecotourism and water quality are central, starting their visit at a traditional Batak village where they received an explanation of the history of the area and future developments. The Royal Couple then learned about the development of sustainable tourism at the DEL Institute for Technology before sailing to the island of Samosir in the middle of Lake Toba, where they visited Silima Lombu Eco Village, set up to show the local community the possibilities of sustainable tourism and small-scale organic agriculture.

12

Leave a Reply