Dutch FM to visit Indonesia<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The Netherlands' Foreign Affairs Minister Bernard Bot will visit
\nIndonesia next week to meet Indonesian foreign minister Hassan
\nWirayuda in Jakarta to discuss bilateral relations and the
\nforthcoming Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit, the Royal
\nNetherlands Embassy in Jakarta said on Monday.<\/p>\n
Apart from the discussion on the country's bilateral
\nrelations, \"Bot will also talk about the upcoming visit of the
\nEuropean Union (EU) to Indonesia led by the Netherlands as holder
\nof the current presidency, and the ASEM Summit in Hanoi in
\nOctober,\" the Embassy said in a press release sent to The Jakarta
\nPost.<\/p>\n
The thorny issue of Myanmar's participation in Hanoi's summit
\nhas been posing a challenge to Dutch diplomacy since its takeover
\nof the EU presidency on July 1, 2004.<\/p>\n
The Netherlands, former colonial master of Indonesia, sent its
\nformer foreign minister Van den Broek to Asia last month on
\nbehalf of the EU to resolve a diplomatic ruckus over Myanmar's
\nentry into the ASEM and rescue a planned summit in October in
\nHanoi.<\/p>\n
But Broek's mission failed as both the EU and the Asian
\ncountries stuck to their guns.<\/p>\n
Now, Bot himself is coming to Indonesia on a three-day visit
\nfrom Aug. 25 to Aug. 27, apparently to woo Southeast Asia's key
\nnation.<\/p>\n
Bot had earlier suggested that European and Asian countries
\napply \"combined pressure\" to bring change in Myanmar, which is
\nruled by a military junta.<\/p>\n
\"Burma (Myanmar) should show some signs of goodwill,\" he was
\nquoted as saying by DPA in June.<\/p>\n
The relations between Indonesia and The Netherlands are
\ncordial and have the potential to grow further.<\/p>\n
Dutch Ambassador to Indonesia Ruud Treffers told the Post that
\nbilateral trade has long been in favor of Indonesia.<\/p>\n
For example, Indonesia's exports to The Netherlands in 2003
\nstood at US$1.95 billion, whereas Dutch exports to Indonesia were
\njust over $300 million during the same period. -- JP<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/dutch-fm-to-visit-indonesia-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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