Minister Retno wants more youths talking about foreign policy

Agnes Anya, The Jakarta Post

Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi image from article

The Foreign Ministry has taken a move to inform the public about its foreign policies by holding dialogues with Indonesian youths, including awardees of various overseas scholarships.

The ministry on Friday evening invited dozens of such awardees to take part in a dialogue with Minister Retno LP Marsudi at its headquarters in Central Jakarta.

The event, titled “Talkshow with the Foreign Minister: Direction on Indonesia's Foreign Affairs and Policies”, involved dozens of professionals who previously received scholarships to study in various countries, such as Australia, Germany, the United States, China and the Netherlands.

Retno emphasized in the dialogue that in this social media era, it was unlikely that Indonesia could hide its policies and measures particularly in regard to foreign affairs.

"Therefore, we organized this event so that you find out about all the policies directly from us," said Retno during the dialogue. "This event can be a communication forum to exchange ideas."

The participants took the chance to get the latest information on various topics related to foreign affairs, including on the protection of Indonesian citizens and migrant workers abroad.

They also made suggestions about how to create solid diaspora groups that could reflect Indonesia's interests and aims in the global community.

Azis Nurwahyudi, the ministry's public diplomacy [JB emphasis] director, told The Jakarta Post that the ministry was also planning to disseminate information to university students across the country.

In addition, Cecep Herawan, the Foreign Ministry's director general for information and public diplomacy said it was also aiming to share its foreign policies with professional groups.

Last week, Deputy Foreign Minister Abdurrahman Mohammad Fachir conducted similar events in two Islamic boarding schools in Yogyakarta, namely Mu'Allimin and Ali Maksum schools, where he discussed foreign issues with high school students.