The Swiss Embassy in Jakarta announced that Swiss private sector companies are ready to invest in the new capital city (IKN) of Indonesia, particularly in fields such as power generation and water distribution, once the situation stabilizes. Swiss Ambassador Olivier Zehnder highlighted the importance of deepening bilateral relations with Indonesia, emphasizing vocational training as a key pillar of cooperation between the two countries. Despite this readiness, no formal agreements have been made with the Indonesian government regarding IKN investments. Speaking on the occasion of Switzerland's National Day, Zehnder underscored values like democracy, freedom of expression, peace, neutrality, compromise, and solidarity, reflecting on these as fundamental to Swiss identity. He also expressed Switzerland's willingness to expand partnerships in various sectors, including trade, investment, skills development, and disaster risk management, especially after Indonesia's successful and peaceful elections. Violette Ruppanner, Head of the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), discussed Switzerland's long-standing support for Indonesia since the 1970s, including technical assistance and investments in skills development, urban planning, healthcare, and rural development. She highlighted current programs focusing on economic development, particularly for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), with around 66 million Swiss Francs allocated for projects promoting effective public institutions and the private sector.
Ruppanner noted that Switzerland has over 35 ongoing programs and projects with Indonesia, such as developing bus transportation systems in several Indonesian cities in collaboration with GIZ to improve urban infrastructure. Another example of collaboration is in supporting MSMEs and export promotion, working with organizations like the Ministry of Trade, KADIN, and SwissCham to help Indonesian MSMEs penetrate the European market, especially Switzerland. In terms of skills development, programs like Renewable Energy Skills Development (RESD) aim to enhance skills in the renewable energy sector. Ambassador Zehnder emphasized that vocational training is a crucial aspect of Swiss-Indonesian economic cooperation, with Swiss vocational programs running for over 50 years and involving about 70% of Swiss youth, including notable figures like the CEO of UBS who began his career through vocational training.
Source: https://kumparan.com/kumparannews/swiss-nyatakan-siap-investasi-di-ikn-239eV0Fyda8
