Abdurrahman visits RI's cultural kin
Abdurrahman visits RI's cultural kin
By Kornelius Purba
NEW DELHI (JP): President Abdurrahman Wahid arrived here for a
two-day state visit on Tuesday to further enhance ties between
Indonesia and India by holding meetings with government and
opposition leaders.
An avid admirer of historical and political figures,
Abdurrahman not only met with Indian President K.R. Narayanan and
Prime Minister Athal Behari Vajpayee, but is also due to meet the
widow of slain prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, Sonia, and Mahatma
Gandhi's grandson Gopal Khrisna Gandhi on Wednesday.
After a state welcome at Rashtrapati Bhawan Palace,
Abdurrahman paid tribute to India as one of Indonesia's cultural
matriarchs.
The Indonesian President visited the Mahatma Gandhi memorial
on Tuesday afternoon.
"India is one of the sources of our culture," Abdurrahman told
reporters.
"Part of our vocabulary comes from Sanskrit ... and Urdu," he
added.
India and Indonesia are closely tied, both culturally and
historically.
Politically, the two countries have remained to this day at
the forefront of Third World development cooperation and are
protagonists in groupings such as the Non-Aligned Movement and G-
15.
In mapping out the course of Indonesian foreign policy earlier
this year, the Indonesian foreign ministry underlined its
intention to forge a closer strategic partnership with Asian
countries, including India, to counter Western political and
economic preponderance.
Abdurrahman described India on Tuesday as one of the most
strategic countries in Asia.
He urged the two countries, along with members of the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations, China and Japan to
closely work together in balancing Western power.
An Indian foreign ministry spokesman said during his meeting
with Indian Prime Minister Vajpayee, Abdurrahman emphasized the
importance of enduring relations with friends like India which
were particularly relevant in difficult times.
Sources familiar with protocol said that unlike other official
state receptions at the palace, the customary inspection of the
honor guard was not conducted. It is believed that Abdurrahman's
health may have been the consideration behind this.
Concrete steps to strengthen bilateral cooperation were taken
by both leaders, particularly in the fields of tourism, oil
exploration and the development of small and medium enterprises.
In the afternoon Abdurrahman and Vajpayee witnessed the
signing of a five-year tourism agreement by Indonesian foreign
minister Alwi Shihab and Indian tourism minister Ananth Kumar.
The agreement is designed at developing tourist links and
traffic between the two countries.
During bilateral talks, Vajpayee expressed his interest to
import liquid natural gas from Indonesia.
Foreign minister Alwi Shihab also indicated Indonesia's
intention to establish greater cooperation in the natural gas
sector.
Alwi also said Indonesia would benefit from increased
cooperation in joint ventures in small and medium-scale
industries, an area where India excels.
The President and his entourage are to depart India on
Wednesday night. His Garuda airbus 330-300 is to take him to
Seoul, where he will meet with South Korean President Kim Dae-
jung, whom he has described as his spiritual guru.
From Seoul he will fly to Bangkok.
Abdurrahman is scheduled complete his 16-day foreign tour on
Sunday.