L-R: Luthfy Ramiz, Researcher; Julia Novrita, Ph.D., Director for Program and Development; CDA, a.i. Gonaranao B. Musor; Third Secretary and Vice Consul Ihna Santos; Mabda H. Fajrilla Sidiq, Researcher; and Marina Ika Sari, Researcher. Showcased behind them is a portrait of former Indonesian Vice President Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie who founded The Habibie Center.

(15 January 2024, Jakarta) – The Chargé d’Affaires, a.i. of the Philippine Embassy in Jakarta, Mr. Gonaranao B. Musor, paid a courtesy call on M. Hasan Ansori, Ph.D., Executive Director of The Habibie Center, at the latter’s headquarters in Kemang, South Jakarta. The two exchanged ideas and insights on current events in Indonesia and the region, as they explored possible avenues of cooperation, especially in light of the year-long celebration of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Indonesia.

Dr. Hasan emphasized that it is very important for the Philippines and Indonesia to connect and exchange insights on policy matters, being the two biggest democratic countries in the region. CDA Musor, in turn, expressed the Embassy’s keenness to partner with the Habibibie Center on topics of mutual interest, such as maritime security, soft power diplomacy, and the Philippines’ upcoming chairship of the ASEAN in 2026, among others.

The Habibie Center was established by Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie, the third President of Indonesia, and his family on 10 November 1999 as an independent, non-governmental, and non-profit organization, with a vision to advance the efforts of modernization and democratization in Indonesia based on morality and integrity of culture and religious values. END.

CDA Gonaranao B. Musor presented Dr. M. Hasan Ansori, Executive Director of The Habibie Center, a copy of “The Frontiers of Foreign Policy: Essays on Philippine Soft Power,” which the former co-edited with Ambassador Eduardo Martin R. Menez.