King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima will, with a few possible exceptions, not shake anyone’s hands during their State visit to Indonesia this week. This is to reduce the chance of catching the coronavirus Covid-19, was reported during the briefing ahead of the state visit on Monday, AD reports.
The Royal couple is expected to arrive in Jakarta on Monday afternoon, local time. Possible exceptions for the no handshakes rule include their reception by President Joko Widodo in Bogor on Tuesday, and their reception by the Sultan of Yogyakarta on Wednesday.
Queen Maxima also announced an added agenda item in Indonesia, as part of her role as Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development on behalf of the the UN Secretary-General. In this position she is working, “to make financial services accessible to everyone and thereby increase their chances of economic and social development. This particularly concerns low income groups, women, small and medium-sized businesses and small farms,” a statement from the Dutch government said.
Monday night, she will meet with Airlangga Hartarto, Indonesia’s economic affairs minister, Wimboh Santoso, the chairman of a financial regulator there, a representative of the country’s central bank, and several business leaders involved in the CEO Partnership for Economic Inclusion. It is the Dutch queen’s fourth visit to Indonesia on behalf of the United Nationss.
The Royals will be accompanied by Minister Sigrid Kaag for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, Minister Cora van Nieuwenhuizen of Infrastructure and Water Management, and Hans de Boer, director of employers organization VNO-NCW. They will head a trade mission to Indonesia, along with 180 representatives of 112 companies, organizations, and knowledge institutions.
