Great talent in spotlight at Indonesia's foundation day

Indonesian talent reigned in Dubai on Thursday evening as Consul General Denny Lesmana gave as well an overview of the growth of the Republic of Indonesia - United Arab Emirates bilateral relations in recent years.

- Mariecar Jara-Puyod, Senior Reporter

Occasion was the commemoration of the foundation of Southeast Asia's sole G-20 member, 80 years back, and, specifically on August 17, 1945, which The Netherlands colonised since 1619.

Grateful was Lesmana for the presence of his colleagues from the Diplomatic Community in Dubai and the Northern Emirates.

"Allow me to begin by expressing my sincere appreciation to Honourable Mr. Ahmad Al Bahri, Head of Protocol and Operations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates, for Dubai and the Northern Emirates, for gracing us with his presence as our Guest of Honour. Mr. Al Bahri, your attendance is a testament to the close friendship and strong partnership between Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates, and we are truly honoured to have you with us tonight."

The Diplomatic Reception formally began with the UAE's "Ishy Bilady" ("Long Live My Nation") and Indonesia's "Indonesia Raya' ("Great Indonesia") by the All Indonesian Choir.

Among the over 80,000 Indonesians across the seven emirates, many are the third culture whose parents have long considered the host country as their home, the All Indonesian Choir come from some of the 38 regions and provinces of the world's largest archipelago of 15,708 islands and islets.