Jokowi to do landmark Aussie parliament speech
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo will address the Australian Parliament, making him only the second Indonesian president to do so in the 70-year-history of Indonesian-Australian diplomatic relations.
“President Jokowi will convey his vision for Indonesia-Australia partnership for the next 30 years to the Australian Parliament to strengthen Australia’s support of our country,” presidential secretariat head Heru Budi Hartono said according to a State Palace press release.
Besides Heru, Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi, Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud MD, Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko and presidential military secretary Maj Gen Suharyanto also accompanied the president on his visit to Australia.
By giving the speech, Jokowi would be the second Indonesian president to address Australia’s Parliament, following in the footsteps of former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who delivered a speech in front of Australian lawmakers in 2010.
Yudhoyono had announced the death of key Bali bombing suspect Dulmatin and highlighted the importance of Jakarta and Canberra becoming strategic partners.
“Indonesia and Australia have a very promising future. We are not only friends. We are not only neighbors. We are strategic partners,” Yudhoyono said at the time.
Besides the speech, Jokowi will also discuss the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement’s ratification with Australian premier Scott Morrison during the visit, with both countries set to launch a plan of action for 2020-2024 to support the agreement. — The Jakarta Post/ANN