‘Qatar-Indonesia ties at very good stage’

Qatar - Relations between Qatar and Indonesia are at a “very good stage” as the Southeast Asian nation is the partner country for the 2023 Year of Culture.

Ambassador of Indonesia H E Ridwan Hassan said leaders of the two countries are on good terms, frequently communicating and visiting each other, which further strengthens the cooperative ties.

Ambassador Hassan told The Peninsula that aside from the bilateral relationship, the two countries are supporting international and regional peace, and bolstering economic, tourism and energy sectors.

He noted that Ooredoo, Qatar's telecom giant, is “doing a good business in Indonesia with its Indonesia counterpart [Indosat Ooredoo].” The country has been investing in Indonesia over the past years, boosting economic ties. Other Qatari companies with operations in Jakarta are Nebras Power, and Qatar National Bank.

The envoy said that Indonesia is expecting an increase in investment flows from Qatar.

Hassan said last year that a new hotel and resort developed by Qatar will open in his country in 2024. The proposed resort, which will be operational in two years, is situated at Labuan Bajo on the western point of the island of Flores, in the Nusa Tenggara region of eastern Indonesia.

The Qatar-Indonesia Year of Culture, a yearlong project for cultural exchange that involves, connects, and engages an immense amount of people to assist them learn about the two countries’ cultures is one of the milestones in the relationship between the two nations, the ambassador noted.

“Indonesia being the partner country for this initiative is a very good step for our bilateral relationship.”

Among the programmes that are currently running under the project are Fashion Residency in Indonesia, The Qatar-Indonesia Abaya Project, and CultuRide.

The Fashion Residency in Indonesia will bring together designers from Indonesia and Qatar to learn about Indonesian craftsmanship and design. The several residencies will concentrate on distinctive artistic traditions, such as Tasikmalaya’s needlework and Sumba’s metallurgy.

The Qatar-Indonesia Abaya Project is a unique collaboration that will take place in both nations and combine the Indonesian traditional batik wax pattern-making technique with traditional Qatari attire Abaya.

Both projects will conclude in June.

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