By Faten Omar

KUWAIT: On the occasion of the 77th Independence Day of the Republic of Indonesia, the Embassy of Indonesia in Kuwait held a diplomatic reception on Monday titled "The beauty of Minangkabau" at Regency Hotel. "Fifty-four years ago, Kuwait and Indonesia established diplomatic relations, on the 28th of February 1968. Kuwait is a central player and also the oldest democracy in the region. I am sure both Kuwait and Indonesia have similar goals to build and maintain stability in international relations," Indonesian Ambassador Lena Maryana said in her welcome remarks.

"Having similar aspirations, I am sure it will be beneficial for both Kuwait and Indonesia to extend cooperation beyond the bilateral realm and lend each other unrelenting support in global forums," she said. The ambassador noted that Indonesia and many countries in the world, especially in Asia and Africa, are facing many challenges in the forms of colonialism and imperialism, along with global pandemics, climate change, world hunger and armed conflicts that have caused security, food, energy, and economic crises.

"Despite these challenges and crises, Indonesia has proven to be one of the strongest nations to maintain its economic resilience, with inflation at only 4.9 percent, far below the average of countries in the region at 7 percent inflation, or 9 percent inflation as seen in many developed countries. For the third quarter of 2022, our GDP also shows a positive growth of 5.4 percent. At the current pace, Indonesia is projected to be the sixth largest economy in the world by 2040," Maryana added.

Maryana indicated that Indonesia will host the G20 Summit on Nov 15-16, 2022, and chair ASEAN next year. It will use this opportunity to further promote peace and stability in the world and the region. The theme of the reception refers to the Minangkabau tribe, the indigenous people of the highlands of West Sumatra in Indonesia. The event was held in collaboration with the provincial government of West Sumatra to bring in dancers, who performed three traditional Minangkabau dances - areolate dance, Indang dance and Pasambahan dance.

The diplomatic reception is an annual event organized by the Embassy of Indonesia in Kuwait. However, this activity was on hold for several years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At the event, a whole range of Indonesian cuisines was present. Ambassador Maryana opened the ceremony by cutting "Nasi tumpeng", a cone-shaped rice dish that is usually made by Indonesians to celebrate special moments. This tradition symbolizes gratitude to God and it is a life expression of togetherness and harmony. Representatives of the ministry of foreign affairs, ambassadors, high-ranking Kuwaiti officials and members of the media attended the event.