RI awards scholarship to 50 teenagers from 31 countries

The Indonesian government awarded Wednesday scholarships to 50 teenagers from 31 countries to study Indonesian art and culture.

The scholarship recipients, who are from Australia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Azerbaijan, the Philippines, Cambodia, Samoa, China, South Korea, Thailand, India, Japan, Laos, Singapore, Cook Island, England, the US, Vanuatu, Vietnam, and the Salomon Islands, will be educated in Bandung, Yogyakarta, Surakarta, and Bali.

"Your presence in Indonesia means a lot to us because you can tell the world that the recent terrorist bombings did not affect the country's social and economic situation," Foreign Affairs Minister Hassan Wirajuda said.

Xanim Eliyeva, from Azerbaijan, thanked the Indonesian government for his scholarship.

"This will give me an opportunity to learn and live in Indonesia after spending one year learning about Indonesia in my home country," Eliyeva said.