“We appreciate the Serbian government’s efforts in providing scholarships to Indonesian students for more than a decade, and we welcome more Indonesians to pursue studies at Serbian universities,” Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology Brian Yuliarto noted in a statement here on Monday.
Minister Brian proposed initiating a joint research funding scheme with 20 professors from each country as an initial step toward broader collaboration.
“Indonesia and Serbia can begin the process of updating the cooperation agreement to further strengthen partnerships in research and higher education,” he remarked.
The minister emphasized that his office will coordinate with the Serbian Embassy in Jakarta to plan the continuation of the bilateral cooperation through an updated memorandum of understanding (MoU).
In response to the proposal, Serbian Ambassador to Indonesia Ivana Golubovi-Duboka agreed that now is an opportune time to enhance bilateral relations between the two countries.
She stated that Serbia fully supports the renewal of the cooperation document and is committed to deepening ties in research and higher education, including efforts to increase the number of Indonesian students in Serbia and Serbian students in Indonesia.
“Last year marked the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Indonesia and Serbia. We are eager to foster more international collaboration. Given the geographical distance, such connectivity is essential,” Ambassador Ivana stated.
She also expressed openness to future negotiations on amending and improving the cooperation framework.
Both parties hope to establish concrete programs that will contribute to the advancement of both nations.
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Translator: Sean, Azis Kurmala
Editor: M Razi Rahman
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