Message of Ambassador H.E. Ambassador Luk Darras
Message of Ambassador H.E. Ambassador Luk Darras
Each year King's Day, which Belgium celebrates on the 15th November, gives us the occasion to stand still for a moment to reflect and to focus on the relations between Belgium and Indonesia.
This year Belgium having the presidency of the European Union from the 1st July until the 31st December, at a crucial time of the European unification, places this message in a much larger context.
On the other hand, the recent shocking events of Sept. 11 in the U.S., will, in their own perverse manner, also leave their mark in ways still unpredictable and for a long time to come. History and humanity shocked in their deepest fibers.
Belgium, at the center of an area with one of the most rapid growth rates of the whole European Union, has an outstanding infrastructure, linking it with all modern communication systems and located at the heart of Europe, at the cross-roads of its various cultures.
A high level of productivity, political and social stability, which are the hallmarks of the Belgian society, form the basis of its qualitative economic and human prosperity.
Moreover, our country enjoys the status of an international metropolis: Brussels, the Belgian capital city, is not only Europe's political center, but also the seat of many international organizations and companies.
The large presence of foreign embassies, representations and correspondents of foreign media in Brussels demonstrates that Belgium is indeed an international forum.
The Belgian knowledge-based economy is characterized by its opening onto the world, the dynamism of its entrepreneurs, the high level of training of its workforce and the inventiveness of its researchers.
The combination of these factors explains why Belgium - characterized mainly by small and medium enterprises - as exporter, takes the 11th position in the world as trading power, and the 10th position as importer.
As a trading nation, Belgium exports of goods and services amount to about 70 percent of the GDP, exporting every day about US$700 million.
Furthermore, our investments abroad and the foreign investments in Belgium continue to gain importance, since trade, in the current context of mondialization is inextricably bound to investments.
Surprisingly, in 1999 Belgium attracted $120 billion in investments, which made it the second largest recipient country in the world, after the U.S., while Belgium was the second investor worldwide, after the U.K., with $122 billion.
Notwithstanding the Asian crisis, many Belgian companies kept expanding and investing in Indonesia, looking at the long-term picture. Being ranked number five in the UNDP-Human Development Report shows the dynamics at work, not only in the economic, but also in the social development and quality of life perspectives.
In times when globalization is often a strong recurring topic, our Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt pleaded recently for a global ethical approach to the environment, labor relations and monetary policy. He defined this as "ethical globalization, a triangle consisting of free trade, knowledge and democracy, alternatively trade, aid and conflict prevention".
He further proposed to "replace the G-8 of the rich countries by a G-8 of existing regional partnerships. A G-8 where the South is given an important and deserved place at the table, to ensure that the globalization of the economy is headed in the right direction, as a place where binding agreements on global ethical standards, on working conditions, intellectual property and good governance can be entered into. In other words, the creation of a forum where the leading continental partnerships can all speak on an equal footing: the European Union, ASEAN, the African Union, Mercossur, the North American Free Trade Agreement, etc."
Finally, in the framework of the European Union's presidency, Belgium is proposing an ambitious reflection exercise, which will result in December this year in the Declaration of Laken/Brussels, concerning a far reaching quality-oriented reform of the European Union's constitutional and structural make-up.
This in function of the enlargement process of the European Union, which is in full swing. Thirteen new countries, mainly in Eastern and Central Europe, are planning to join the existing 15 European Union members in the coming years. From a historical viewpoint, creating a stronger, wider and more stable Europe of 500 million citizens, the achievement of enlargement touches the very soul of the European Union. It is about sharing common values, such as political democracy, respect for human rights, social support of the weak, protection of minorities, market economy and peaceful coexistence within the rule of law. Through this process, the geographical, political and cultural identity of Europe is resumed. Civilization can be measured by the degree of diversity attained and the degree of unity retained.
As an important democratic partner for Belgium and the European Union, Indonesia's transition, as a re-emerging player in the security and stability of the region, gives us the strength to propose a new political partnership with Indonesia, which would also support the anchoring of democracy and would involve the promotion of constructive international relations.
The whole idea is, in the whirlwind of changing complexities in the world, to build coherent, interlinked creative new transitions, beneficial to all.
As last year, I would like to appeal for a more caring capacity in international relations, which acknowledges that humans, communities and nations are not isolated, but are interdependent, flexible and ready to commit themselves. A greater degree of worldwide co-operation is essential to deal with the serious and interlocking issues that face the whole human race. The undeniable trend is towards a more inclusive sense of solidarity.
In order to meet these requirements of sustainable quality however, the evolution towards planetary consciousness must accommodate also cultural diversity, generosity and tolerance.
The values of modern, open, high-trust societies are : universalism, open debate, conjectures judged by evidence and pursuit of continual improvement. We need to show how societies can combine innovation and inclusion, knowledge capital and social capital, to generate lasting value for all.
True accomplishment in mutual relations is not about winning, acquiring or being on top. It is about sharing, giving and including.