Suriname president's visit off to rocky start<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The visit by Suriname President R.R. Venetiaan,
\nwhich is touted as a way of replenishing traditional ties, got
\noff to an embarrassing start for his hosts on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Venetiaan and his entourage of 33 were stranded in Singapore
\nfor more than two hours because the Garuda Indonesia plane, which
\nwas flying him from Amsterdam to Jakarta, was beset by technical
\ndifficulties.<\/p>\n
When he did arrive in Jakarta, darkness had already fallen,
\nnecessitating a cancellation in the 21 gun-salute normally
\naccorded visiting heads of state when he was welcomed by
\nPresident Soeharto in the Merdeka Palace compound.<\/p>\n
As yesterday was a public holiday in Indonesia, the talks
\nbetween the two presidents and the state banquet in his honor are
\nscheduled on the penultimate day of his visit rather than on the
\nfirst day as is customary.<\/p>\n
Yesterday, Venetiaan completed the less formal programs, such
\nas laying a wreath at the Kalibata Heroes' Cemetery, and flying
\nto Bandung, West Java, to visit the plant of the state aircraft
\nmanufacturer IPTN and the Asia-Africa museum. He then flew to
\nYogyakarta where he was a guest of Sultan Hamengkubuwono X before
\nreturning to Jakarta.<\/p>\n
This is the first time a Suriname president has visited
\nIndonesia.<\/p>\n
The two countries, despite their distance and virtual absence
\nof commercial ties, are bound by tradition as both were at one
\ntime colonies of the Netherlands. As many as 15 percent of the
\n413,000 Surinamese are descendants of Javanese who were shipped
\nthere by the Dutch as plantation workers.<\/p>\n
Two members of the presidential delegation have Javanese
\nnames. They are Soemita, the Minister of Social Services, and C.
\nArdjosemito, who heads the agriculture and fisheries department.<\/p>\n
Other members of the delegation, besides Mrs. Venetiaan,
\ninclude Foreign Minister S.Ch. Mungra, Minister of Natural
\nResources F.R. Demon and Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries J.
\nSisal. They are joined by 11 entrepreneurs who will be exploring
\ntrade ties with their Indonesian counterparts.<\/p>\n
A new trade cooperation agreement will be signed by the
\nforeign ministers of the two countries during the visit.<\/p>\n
Indonesia and Suriname have maintained diplomatic relations
\nsince 1964, initially at consulate general level and elevated to
\nfull embassy status after Suriname became fully independent in
\n1975.<\/p>\n
Suriname is also a member of the Non-Aligned Movement which is
\ncurrently chaired by Indonesia.<\/p>\n
The two countries signed a technical cooperation agreement in
\n1990 and an economic and technical agreement in 1992. Trade
\nbetween them amounted to a meager $1.9 million a year with
\nIndonesia, which is exporting textiles, garments and handicrafts,
\nrunning a surplus. (emb\/pet)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/suriname-presidents-visit-off-to-rocky-start-1447899208",
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