Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen met several representatives of the Indonesian state leadership in Jakarta on Tuesday 27 April. The programme of the official visit included a discussion with President of the Republic of Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. Vanhanen also had a meeting with Vice President Boediono and Speaker of Parliament Marzuki Ali. In addition, he had meetings with members of the Indonesian Government, including Hatta Rajasa, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs and other Ministers dealing with issues relating to industry, the environment and foreign affairs.
Topics of the official discussions covered global issues, such as the world economy, energy and climate change, and regional themes such as development of the ASEAN and the European Union. Both countries considered it important to make use of the possibilities, such as the human rights dialogue, offered by the new Partnership and Cooperation Agreement signed between the EU and Indonesia.
At the official meeting with the President of the Republic, bilateral relations and trade questions were also touched upon. Both countries’ stressed their mutual interest in increasing cooperation in energy and forest sectors and in the fields of energy efficiency and clean technologies.
On Tuesday, the programme included a seminar for experts in Finnish companies which focused on the trade potential offered by Indonesia. Prime Minister Vanhanen pointed out that Indonesia has been one of the few countries which have succeeded in maintaining a stable economic growth during the international economic crisis, while Finland has been one of the world leaders in developing industrial processes. Therefore, it is essential to seek partnerships that can utilise Indonesians’ experience in the fast growing Asian market on the one hand and Finnish knowhow on the other, Vanhanen said. The Prime Minister considered the environmental technology sector to be one of the special areas to broaden cooperation in.
Prime Minister Vanhanen will continue his visit to Kuala Lumpur, Malesia on Wednesday morning, 28 April. There he will hold discussions with Malaysia’s Prime Minister, Najib Razak, and the country’s National Economic Advisory Council.
Prime Minister Vanhanen will return to Finland to day Friday 30 April.
