Chair of Indonesia – Brazil Parliamentary Friendship Group, Luluk Nur Hamidah, hands over souvenirs after a courtesy call with the Brazilian Ambassador. Photo: Jaka/nvl

Luluk Nur Hamidah, Chairperson of the Indonesia – Brazil Parliamentary Friendship Group, asserted that Indonesia and Brazil would continue to promote closer cooperative relations. The cooperation will be focused on several sectors, such as trading, best practice sharing in conservation, agriculture, tourism, and sports.

"They (Brazil) have an impressive football team. Hopefully in the future we can invite trainers or superstar players to a sharing session with our people. Furthermore, we certainly need parliament-to-parliament cooperation considering it’s the pillar of democracy for every country," Hamidah said during a courtesy call with the Ambassador of the Federative Republic of Brazil to Indonesia, José Amir da Costa Donelles, at the Brazillian Embassy in Jakarta on Tuesday (5/10/2021).

The National Awakening Party (PKB) Politician added that Indonesia and Brazil have common characteristics in terms of population, culture, and commitment to protecting and preserving the environment, which benefits the two countries as they share best practices through the cooperation.

"They (Brazil) have the largest biodiversity, and we are the second one. Brazil’s commitment to a national development based on environmental sustainability can be an important learning point for us," added the member of Commission IV – the standing committee dealing with agriculture, environment, forestry, and maritime affairs.

Underlining the importance of bilateral relations between the two countries, which have been well established over the years, Hamidah expressed her hope that the cooperation between Indonesia and Brazil can bring mutual benefits in the future. "Our task is to carry out parliamentary diplomacy with Brazil to maintain our previous collaborations. We hope that the cooperation between Indonesia and Brazil can bring real benefits for the Indonesian people," she asserted.

The issue of World Trade Organization (WTO) regulation in livestock trade between Indonesia and Brazil arose during the dialogue between Hamidah and Ambassador José Amir da Costa Donelles. “I think we need more constructive dialogue to come to a better understanding of the importance of the relations between the two countries. For this reason, Parliament can carry out its parliamentary diplomacy to help the government anticipate potential challenges that may arise,” she said. (bia/sf)