State Secretary Waldner opens “Green Embassy” in Jakarta
Jakarta, 28 November, 2011 – The State Secretary at the Foreign Office, Dr. Wolfgang Waldner, today opened the new low-energy building of the Austrian Embassy in Jakarta. In the afternoon he met the Indonesian Foreign Minister, Marty Natalegawa, for talks.
At the meeting with State Secretary Waldner the Indonesian Foreign Minister praised the project of a “green” embassy, the first to be realised, and stressed its exemplary role for the megalopolis of Jakarta with its population of 18 million.
The low-energy building, based on Austrian know-how and built in a sustainable and eco-friendly manner, was designed and erected in a tropical climate by pos architekten, the firm of architects headed by Fritz Oettl. An effective combination of traditional techniques, local materials and modern technology, the building is designed to provide a healthy and comfortable indoor climate and economical operation.
During a lengthy discussion between State Secretary Waldner and the Governor of the City of Jakarta, Fauzi Bowo, the latter emphasised that the Austrian Embassy building in Jakarta constituted “an excellent role model” which “will serve as a yardstick for other diplomatic missions and local private business.”
Indonesia, with its 240 million inhabitants the largest member of ASEAN, the Association of South-East Asian Nations, hosted the semi-annual ASEAN summit which took place from 17 to 19 November in Bali. It was held in conjunction with the East Asian Summit, which wasextended for the first time to include US President Barack Obama and Russian representatives. US-Chinese relations and the ASEAN chairmanship, which will be entrusted to Myanmar for the first time in 2014, were key topics of the event.
In this context State Secretary Wolfgang Waldner paid tribute to the successful endeavours of the current Indonesian chairmanship of ASEAN and to Natalegawa’s personal commitment. State Secretary Waldner also underlined the importance of the Dialogue between Cultures and Religions conducted by Austria and Indonesia, praising in this context Indonesia’s exemplary role as a state with a Muslim majority and a tradition of tolerance and peaceful coexistence of different religions and cultures that dates back thousands of years.
Contact:
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