Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesian House Speaker Puan Maharani expressed hope for complementary relations between Indonesia and Italy during a bilateral meeting with President of the Chamber of Deputies of Italy, Lorenzo Fontana, in Italy on Thursday.
Maharani emphasized the importance of strengthening parliamentary cooperation between the two countries as she believes that parliamentary diplomacy is essential to complementing intergovernmental diplomacy.
"The Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI) views the importance of encouraging closer inter-parliamentary dialogue and parliamentary diplomacy, bilaterally, regionally, and globally," she remarked.
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To facilitate parliamentary diplomacy, her office formed a Bilateral Cooperation Group (GKSB) between the Indonesian House of Representatives and Italy as part of the 102 GKSBs formed by DPR RI on January 30.
"Parliamentary diplomacy is expected to bridge differences between countries amid various world crises, such as increasing geopolitical tensions, war, conflict, great power competition, and climate," Maharani noted.
Maharani then expressed her appreciation for the positive bilateral relations between Indonesia and Italy.
Maharani underscored the need to follow up on several cooperation issues, given the shared democratic values of both nations.
In addition, the development of cooperation in the economic sector between Indonesia and Italy is increasingly significant, considering that Indonesia has officially joined the economic bloc of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS).
"The cooperation between Indonesia and Italy needs to be improved, including in the fields of education, culture, industry, and agriculture," she emphasized.
In the education field, Maharani encouraged cooperation between Indonesian and Italian universities, such as by creating a joint degree program, lecturer and student exchanges, as well as joint research and international publications.
Additionally, she advocated for stronger people-to-people connections through tourism, youth exchange programs, conducting religious leader exchanges, offering scholarships, and intensifying interfaith dialogue.
On the occasion, she lauded the recent cooperation between Indonesia and Italy in the military sector, with the Indonesian Navy acquiring two ships made by the Italian company, Fincantieri, which will be used to strengthen the defense of Indonesia's maritime territory.
The two warships, KRI Brawijaya 320 and KRI Prabu Siliwangi 321, were purchased from Fincantieri, Italy, on January 29, 2025.
In her closing remarks, Maharani extended an invitation to Fontana for an official visit to Indonesia in the future.
