REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The King of Saudi Arabia, King Salman bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud would visit a number of countries in Asia, including Indonesia on March 1-9, 2017. The Deputy Chairman of the Central Board of Nahdlatul Ulama KH Maksum Machfoedz said there should be several topics to talk between the Indonesian president and the king.
"The most important point is the hajj quotas for Indonesian people, so we do'nt need to queu for 20 to 30 years," said Maksum through a short message on Sunday.
The other topic is how to strengthen cooperation on social, educational, and cultural sectors. Maksum said it would be beneficial to build harmony of the nations and religions. He believed that the visit would impact on the economic strength, especially for Indonesia.
A positive respond also came from the member of Commission I of the House of Indonesian Representatives Sukamta. "King Salman's visit with its huge entourages is very positive. It is necessary to strenghten bilateral relations of both countries," said Sukamta on Saturday.
He said there should be two main agendas on the meeting between Indonesia and Saudi Arabia. Firstly, the visit should encourage closer relations of both countries. It hopes to increase trade and investment volume.
"I hear that Saudi Arabia prepares Rp 300 trillions of investments. It is very good for Indonesia. Better bilateral relations can also be a milestone to propose solutions for the Indonesian workers protection in Saudi Arabia," said the Head of Coaching and International Development (BPPLN) of Justice and Prosperity Party (PKS).
Sukamta hope the visit would result on more hajj quotas for Indonesian people. He also mentioned regional issues in Asia, especially about Islam, to be brought to the meeting.
He said Indonesia and Saudi Arabia could play more strategic roles to encourage efforts to solve the conflicts in Islamic countries. Sukamta argued it would be related to the issues on terrorism that was said to be discussed on the meeting.
The strategic role of both countries could also be uprised to build the future of Islamic world in competing with other nations. Recent meeting in regional level was dominated by domestic issues on politics and security.
"I guess Islamic world is necessary to have its own agenda setting such as the improvement on science and technology, industrial development, and social and cultural cooperation. It will be more constructive and will bring better future," he said.
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