European lawmakers visit Indonesian House of Representatives

Jakarta, March 17 (Antara) - Several Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) visited the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR) on Tuesday, with discussions chiefly centering on free trade. "The European Parliament wishes to tap into the 'free trade agreement,' which is currently developing, and they wish more progress could be made," DPR deputy speaker Agus Hermanto stated after receiving the MEPs from Germany, the Netherlands, Britain, and other Western European countries. During the meeting, the MEPs explained that they have also inked similar agreements with other ASEAN member countries such as Singapore and Thailand. "However, with regard to Indonesia, a lot has yet to be seriously discussed because not many items are part of free trade," he pointed out. Agus said he had also updated them about the difficulties encountered by Indonesians seeking a Schangen visa, and in view of that, he had urged them to ease the visa-issuance procedures. To this effect, they had pledged to take up the matter with the concerned parties. "They lauded it and gave assurance that they would discuss the matter with the concerned offices such as the immigration office and the foreign ministry," he stated. Agus noted that during the meeting, they had also discussed about exploring cooperation in the fields of science and technology. He said in view of the European countries' scientific and technological advancements, cooperation in these fields needs to be intensified through educational cooperation. "The cooperation in the fields needs to be increased through education, and we can accelerate the cooperation between Indonesian and Western European universities," he emphasized. Agus admitted that the MEPs had also inquired about the death penalty in Indonesia. He explained to them that death penalty is imposed on terrorists and narcotic convicts. "We explained that the implementation of the penalty is limited to terrorists and narcotic convicts only, and in the cases believed to inflict harm to the younger generation." he added. During the meeting, Agus was accompanied by Chairman of House Foreign Affairs Commission I Mahfudz Siddiq, Commission I Deputy Chairman Tantowi Yahya, and chairperson of the Inter-Parliamentary Board Nurhayati Ali Assegaf.