Two young Indonesian diplomats, Puji Sulastri and Gilang Gumilar, recipients of MAEC-AECID scholarship, completed their education at Escuela Diplomatica this year along with 76 other students from various states (14/06). In addition to the remarks given by the Director of the Diplomatic School, José Antonio Martínez de Villarreal Baena, the graduation was attended by Spain’s Foreign Minister, José Manuel García-Margallo, who also delivered a speech.
In his speech, the Foreign Minister raised the question of contemporary international politics, global economic crisis and the crisis currently engulfing the European Union. Challenges faced by the European Union in the form of the economic and political crisis that hit Greece and Spain and other states along with the increasingly problematic issue of unemployment for various parties became important subjects in his speech.
Clausura or the closing ceremony of the school year and the awarding of the certificates of Escuela Diplomatica (Diplomatic School), Spain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was held in the Hall of the Diplomatic School, Madrid and attended by the Indonesian Ambassador to Spain in Madrid, Foreign Ministry officials, officials from the local Ministry of Defense, academia and lecturers at the Diplomatic School, Ambassadors, and diplomatic corps from home states of the recipients of the scholarship, as well as other state officials.
MAEC-AECID (Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores y de Cooperaciones- Agencia de Espanol para la Cooperaciones Internacionales y Desarollo) IIC- Scholarship to study Masters in Diplomacy and International Relations is a scholarship given to diplomats and students who are interested to explore the issue of diplomacy and international relations. The scholarship was awarded by the International Development Cooperation Aid Spain (AECID) in cooperation with the Diplomatic School (Escuela Diplomatica), Madrid, Spain, which were both established under the auspices of Spain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The scholarship program was participated by around 78 participants with a composition of 50% from Spain and the other 50% being students and diplomats from various states, both EU and non-EU. States participating in the scholarship program include Afghanistan, the United States, Azerbaijan, Bolivia, Bulgaria, China, Columbia, Philippines, Ghana, Guatemala, Equatorial Guinea, Honduras, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mauritania, Mexico, France , Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Tunisia, and Vietnam.
The Master program is named Master Interuniversitario en Diplomacia y Relaciones Internacionales, because it is carried out in collaboration with six leading universities in Spain, namely the University of Alcala in Spain, Carlos III University of Madrid, Madrid Complutens University, Menendez Pelayo International University, University Nacional de Educación a Distancia, and the University Rey Juan Carlos.
Besides the six universities, the teachers and speakers for the Masters program were also imported from other agencies, such as the Casa Arabe, AECID, Ambassadors of friendly states, the Ambassador of Spain, the Association of Spanish entrepreneurs in Africa, as well as officials or teachers in Spain’s Ministry of Defense. (Source: Indonesian Embassy in Madrid / Dit. Infomed / Ed. PY)