House Speaker commends strengthening ties between Indonesia and Qatar

Speaker of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR) Puan Maharani voiced her support for the efforts to strengthen bilateral relations between Indonesia and Qatar that have existed for 46 years, or since 1976.

During a bilateral meeting with Qatar Syuro Council Chairman Hassan bin Abdullah Al-Ghanim at the Qatar Shura Council Building, Doha, on Sunday, Maharani told the host that Qatar was a very important and friendly country for Indonesia.

“I am very happy with the good bilateral relations between the two countries, as reflected by invitations for Indonesia to become a partner country in the 2023 Year of Culture and to participate in the Horticultural Expo event, Doha 2023,” she noted in a statement here on Monday.

She is optimistic that Indonesia’s participation in the Horticultural Expo 2023 Doha can bring relations between both nations to a higher level.

“The DPR always provides support, so that the relationship between Indonesia and Qatar will get stronger. We need to develop ties between people because it will become a solid foundation for relations between the two countries,” she added.

She considers Qatar as Indonesia’s strategic partner in the trade sector despite the Indonesian trade balance still being in deficit.

During the January-July 2022 period, the trade value between Indonesia and Qatar had reached US$758 million, an increase of almost 30 percent from the previous year.

“I hope we can continue to encourage increased trade flows between the two countries. On this occasion, I would also like to express support for increasing Qatar’s investment in Indonesia,” she remarked.

The Indonesian Parliament for the 2019-2024 period has formed bilateral cooperation with parliaments in 102 countries, including with the Qatar Syuro Council.

“Apart from bilaterally, the parliament has established cooperation with various international organizations, such as the International Organization of World Parliaments (IPU) and the Parliamentary Union of OIC Member States (PUIC),” she noted.

The Indonesian Parliament and the Qatar Syuro Council have been actively involved in the Global Parliamentary Organization Against Corruption (GOPAC), an inter-parliamentary cooperation platform to tackle corruption and promote good governance.

Maharani also encouraged cooperation between the Indonesian and Qatari parliaments in the fight against corruption.

Agencies