UK to send vaccine to Indonesia

Jakarta (Indonesia Window) – The United Kingdom ((UK) has planned to send COVID-19 vaccine in aid to Indonesia.

“The British Foreign Minister has confirmed the UK’s plan to contribute vaccine to Indonesia,” said Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi in a written statement received here on Wednesday (June 30).

It was confirmed by British Foreign Minister Dominic Raab in a bilateral meeting with Foreign Minister Retno on the sidelines of the G20 ministerial meeting in Matera, about 424 kilometers south of Italy’s capital city of Rome on Tuesday (June 29).

“Regarding the amount and timing of deliveries, we will still discuss further,” said the Indonesian foreign minister, adding that the confirmation of the vaccine from the U.K. was a continuation of the intensive communications carried out by the two foreign ministers, including the one on June 10, 2021.

At the bilateral meeting, Indonesia and the U.K. also discussed the latter’s commitment to further intensify its interaction with ASEAN.

“We also discussed preparations for the implementation of COP (Conference of the Parties) 26, in which the U.K. will be the host. Indonesia emphasizes that the commitments under the Paris Agreement need to be implemented, including the one related to the availability of adaptation funds,” said Retno.

The cooperation between Indonesia and the U.K. continues to strengthen, with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson communicating by phone with Indonesian President Joko Widodo in March 2021.

“Meanwhile, last April, I welcomed the British Foreign Minister in Jakarta within the framework of the Indonesia-UK Partnership Forum. And this time, I again met with Foreign Minister Raab to continue to boost the cooperation between the two countries,” said Minister Retno.

Reporting by Indonesia Window