State visit to Indonesia - programme

News item | 07-02-2020 | 16:30

At the invitation of President Joko Widodo, Their Majesties King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima will pay a state visit to the Republic of Indonesia from Tuesday 10 March to Friday 13 March 2020. They will visit Jakarta and Yogjakarta on the island of Java as well as the islands of Kalimantan and Sumatra.

The state visit affirms the close, wide-ranging relationship between the two countries and will be geared towards future cooperation. The programme will focus on the economy, nature conservation, culture, science and the many ties that exist between the peoples of Indonesia and the Netherlands, based in part on their shared history. King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima will be accompanied on their visit by foreign minister Stef Blok.

Foreign trade and development minister Sigrid Kaag, infrastructure and water management minister Cora van Nieuwenhuizen, medical care and sport minister Bruno Bruins and agriculture, nature and food quality minister Carola Schouten will head a broad parallel trade mission to Indonesia to capitalise on the potential for economic partnership in the areas of agriculture, healthcare, coastal protection and the maritime industry, and circular economy and water technology. Over 130 businesses will take part in the mission.

Tuesday 10 March – Jakarta

The King and Queen will start their state visit in Jakarta by laying a wreath at the Kalibata Heroes Cemetery to honour the war dead, especially those who fell during the Indonesian War of Independence (1945-1949). This will be followed by an official welcome ceremony at the presidential palace in Bogor, where President Joko Widodo and his wife Iriana will receive the King and Queen. This audience will be followed by a meeting of the Indonesian and Dutch delegations. Afterwards, President Widodo will host a lunch, preceded by a joint press statement.

In the afternoon King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima will lay a wreath at Menteng Pulo Cemetery, the resting place of almost 4,300 Dutch soldiers who died during the Second World War and the Indonesian War of Independence.

They will then continue on to the Pipiltin Cocoa chocolate factory, which works with farmers from various regions in Indonesia. The farmers are trained in sustainable cocoa production methods and ways of improving the quality of their products.

In the evening the King and Queen will meet the members of the trade mission and will be present at the signing of various partnership agreements between Indonesian and Dutch businesses. Afterwards, they will visit a photo exhibition at the Erasmus Huis entitled ‘Innovation’, part of a competition for young Indonesian photographers. The day will end with a reception for the Dutch community.

Wednesday 11 March – Yogyakarta

On Wednesday King and Queen will start the day by taking part in a discussion about the opportunities and challenges for Dutch businesses in Indonesia. The delegation will then travel to Yogyakarta where they will be received by the Sultan of Yogyakarta in his palace Kraton Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat. After a lunch at the palace, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima will visit the ‘connected Kampong’, a neighbourhood of the city where internet connections have enabled residents to collectively improve their living conditions and quality of life.

A visit to Universitas Gadjah Mada will focus on scientific and academic partnership between Indonesia and the Netherlands. The King and Queen will talk to students about the Innovative Academy, which promotes creative partnership in setting up digital startups.

In the evening King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima will visit the temple complex of Prambanan. It is the largest Hindu Javanese temple complex in Indonesia, and its name means ‘many priests’. The King and Queen will speak with various religious leaders about their efforts to promote religious tolerance in Indonesia and the wider region. They will then be given a tour of the temple complex, and attend part of a traditional Ramayana performance and a concert by the modern music group Rubah di Selatan.

Thursday 12 March – Kalimantan

The third day of the state visit will take place on Kalimantan and one of the themes will be nature conservation. In Sebangau National Park, the King and Queen will visit a research centre situated in the middle of a peat swamp forest. They will be given a tour of projects relating to water management and reforestation. These projects contribute to the preservation of orang-utans’ habitat. After the tour the King and Queen will speak to former loggers who are now involved in the sustainable management of the park.

In the afternoon King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima will visit the Nyaru Menteng Orangutan Rescue Centre. Here, over 316 orphaned and displaced baby orang-utans are looked after. At the ‘Forest School’ the young apes are taught how to survive in the wild. Afterwards the King and Queen will visit a Dayak model farm and talk to farmers about making the palm oil supply chain more sustainable. They will also speak with representatives of businesses.

The day will close with a visit to a training session arranged by Pledge United, an experiential football programme designed to help Indonesian boys speak out against gender-based violence.

Friday 13 March – Sumatra

On the final day of the state visit King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima will travel to Lake Toba, where the focus will be on ecotourism and water quality. They will start by visiting a traditional Batak village where they will hear about the history of the region and future developments. President Widodo has designated Lake Toba a new location for sustainable tourism.

The King and Queen will then visit the Del Institute of Technology to learn about the development of sustainable tourism. The institute is committed to combating overfishing and the discharge of waste water, in order to improve Lake Toba’s water quality.

Afterwards King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima will travel by boat to Samosir Island in the middle of the lake, where they will visit Silima Lombu ecovillage, built to show the local community the potential of sustainable tourism and small-scale organic farming.

State visit to Indonesia - programme

Tuesday 10 March – Jakarta

Wednesday 11 March – Yogyakarta

Thursday 12 March – Kalimantan

Friday 13 March – Sumatra

Speeches

Short closing remarks by His Majesty the King at the meeting with participants of the economic mission and their counterparts, Jakarta

Statement by King Willem-Alexander at the beginning of the state visit to Indonesia

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