Batam hosts seminar on Croatia

BATAM: Batam Industrial Development Authority (BIDA) hosted a seminar on Thursday to promote cooperation between Batam and Croatia in Batam city, Riau Islands.

Croatian Embassy's minister Andelko Simic presented a lecture on: The Economic Bridge between Europe and ASEAN, particularly Croatia and Batam.

The one-day seminar -- which was opened by Mochamad Rijanto, BIDA's deputy of administration and planning and attended by businessmen, tour operators, scholars and officials -- emphasized the need to improve transportation communications between Croatia's Rijeka Port and Batam Port.

"Both these ports (Rijeka and Batam) would be able to represent the sea gate to Eastern and Central Europe and ASEAN," said Simic, who is also the Croatia's special representative to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Being a top tourist destination in Europe, Croatia can cooperate with Indonesia, especially Batam in many ways to promote the tourist industry.

"The seminar is a concrete step in promoting trade links between Croatia and Batam," Simic, a professor-turned diplomat, told The Jakarta Post recently. -- JP