Jakarta – During a lunch with New Zealand Governor General Dame Patsy Reddy, President Joko Widodo touched on Indonesian coffee. Jokowi invites Dame Patsy Reddy and the people of New Zealand to drink Indonesian coffee.
“Don’t forget, if you drink coffee, drink Indonesian coffee,” said Jokowi at a state lunch at Government House, Wellington, New Zealand, Monday (19/3/2018) as stated by Deputy for Protocol, Press and Media of the Presidential Secretariat Bey Machmudin in a written statement.
The President said, as a former businessman, his business instincts immediately emerged when he heard that New Zealanders liked to drink coffee.
“I immediately thought that Indonesia should be able to export more coffee to New Zealand,” he said to applause from all those present in the Norie State Dining Room.
 Jokowi during a speech at a luncheon by New Zealand Governor General Dame Patsy Reddy. Photo: Laily Rachev-Press Bureau of the Presidential Secretariat |
Indonesia itself, said Jokowi, is one of the largest coffee producers in the world. Indonesia has many types of coffee, ranging from Balinese coffee, Sumatran coffee, Javanese coffee, Toraja coffee, to Luwak coffee.
“Each of these coffees has a different unique taste. I heard that Sumatran coffee and West Java coffee are quite popular here,” he said.
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Jokowi hopes that this coffee diplomacy will become a new glue for bilateral relations between Indonesia and New Zealand.
“Coffee diplomacy will be the new glue for our bilateral relations. Good bilateral relations have existed for 60 years,” said Jokowi.
At this state lunch, President and Mrs. Iriana Joko Widodo were accompanied by Coordinating Minister for Politics, Law and Security Wiranto, Minister of State Secretary Pratikno, Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi, Head of BKPM Thomas Lembong, Indonesian Ambassador to New Zealand Tantowi Yahya, and the Chairman General Chamber of Commerce and Industry Rosan Perkasa Roeslani.
(jor/imk)
