The Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, South Africa and Southern African Development Community (SADC) His Excellency Mr. Salman Al Farisi, presented Letters of Credence to the SADC Executive Secretary, Her Excellency Dr. Stergomena Lawrence Tax on Friday, 24th January 2020.
Her Excellency Dr. Tax welcomed Ambassador Farisi to the SADC Secretariat, and underscored the importance of the accreditation to SADC, which meant that there will closer collaboration between SADC and Government of the Republic of Indonesia. She indicated that SADC Member States and Indonesia have similar objectives, which are development through industrialisation and infrastructure development. Her Excellency Dr. Tax said that SADC can draw lessons from Indonesia's economic success and visible achievements registered over the years.
On his part, His Excellency Ambassador Farisi said the Government of the Republic of Indonesia was encouraged by the development initiatives that SADC is undertaking, and hoped for closer cooperation. He said Indonesia remains committed to collaborate with SADC countries in a number of areas, including infrastructure development, private sector partnerships, and sharing of technical expertise. He further said, as a demonstration of Indonesia's commitment to strengthen relations with Africa, including SADC, USD 800 million has been set aside for collaborative initiatives, through Indonesia-Africa Dialogue.
The two parties agreed to cement the relations by having an Action Plan which will detail the areas of cooperation and collaboration.
The SADC Executive Secretary was accompanied by SADC Deputy Executive Secretary for Corporate Affairs, Ambassador Dr. Joseph Nourrice; Director for Policy, Planning and Resource Mobilization, Dr. Mubita Luwabelwa and Senior Policy Advisor in the Office of the Executive Secretary, Mr. Maxwell Mkumba.
His Excellency Mr. Salman Al Farisi was accompanied by Minister Counsellor, Mr. Ardhya Erlangga Arby, and Third Secretary, Mr. Fajar Arianto, both from the Embassy of Indonesia in South Africa.
