checked by Melinda I decided to change it to patent from pattern
checked by Melinda I decided to change it to patent from pattern
For France National Day/Sunday/July 14
RI remains attractive to French investors
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French people all over the world are celebrating Bastille Day
today to commemorate the founding of the nation. The French
Ambassador to Indonesia, Herve Ladsous, talks to The Jakarta Post
contributor, I. Christianto, about his country's national day,
its political and economic ties and friendship with Indonesia.
The following is an excerpt of the interview.
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What makes this year's celebration of the French National Day
distinct?
Let me first extend my greetings to readers of The Jakarta
Post on the occasion of July 14, or Bastille Day as we call it.
On this day we commemorate the founding of our nation and the
French Revolution, which was the revolution of my country and is
also significant for many other countries as it implies liberty
and human rights.
This year is another year of celebration, a year in which
France has seen major political events; the presidential election
and parliamentary elections. Jacques Chirac won the presidential
election in May for a second term.
Do you think there will be a policy shift toward Indonesia?
No. It is clear the French government won't make any shift in
policy toward Indonesia. We will keep maintaining the
relationship we have had with Indonesia as it has been going well
so far, even through all the difficulties Indonesia has
experienced.
We will further support Indonesia through political dialog in
the reformasi process. We will also keep helping Indonesia in the
economic, financial and investment fields. We are encouraging
more investors to invest in Indonesia.
Specifically, how does your country support Indonesia?
I mentioned the reform process. Indeed it is a very important
thing for us. We share the same recipe, that to emerge from the
economic crisis we must be able to attract many more foreign
investors. This is definitely important for Indonesia. We are
also enhancing cooperation in other fields including working for
a better judicial system, public accounting and intellectual
property rights.
Just an example, in agriculture, we are assisting Indonesia to
patent its agricultural products. France is well-known for its
wines, and we can help Indonesia to patent its agricultural
products. Areas in Indonesia will be able to promote certain
agricultural products of good quality. For instance, promoting
coffee, which is already popular in certain places. With a good
quality product, consumers will have a guarantee of quality and
farmers will in turn enjoy stable prices. We are also cooperating
with the Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture to improve the
agricultural sector, like the modernization of sugar production.
How would you encourage French investors to invest in
Indonesia?
There has been a business delegation from my country that
visited Indonesia to seek opportunities here. The delegation,
comprising of businessmen from various fields, found that
Indonesia was still attractive to foreign investors.
Meanwhile, the overall figure for French investments in
Indonesia so far stands at US$4 billion. This may not be as huge
as other foreign investors, but the investors are dealing with
important sectors like trading and commerce, gas, oil and energy,
public utilities and heavy industries. There are also French
companies like the retailer Carrefour and hotel chain Accor, that
continue to expand their businesses in Indonesia.
Carrefour, for instance, has set the quality standards for
some goods, including agricultural products. Accor has supported
Indonesia's tourist industry by expanding its hotel operations
across the archipelago. Both companies have created new job
openings in Indonesia.
I'd like to add, in term of trading, Indonesia has been a
major Asian commercial partner for France for a long time.
Bilateral trade totaled $1.2 billion last year, with a surplus of
$600 million to Indonesia. Popular goods imported from Indonesia
include textiles, clothes, furniture and wood products,
agricultural and food products.
What about the relationship between the two nations in the
social and cultural sector?
There have been significant events in this sector in
Indonesia. We held the French Film Festival in several cities in
Indonesia, which played an important role in the cultural
relationship between the two countries. The annual French Film
Festival, showing 20 films this year, has drawn many film
enthusiasts.
Meanwhile, many in France have been showing an increasing
interest in the Indonesian film scene, and we are supporting
people with talent in filmmaking including actors, script writers
and so on. Movie star Christine Hakim was chosen as a member of
the jury at the Cannes Film Festival this year, which is France's
way of acknowledging Indonesian talent in film.
Earlier this month, the French TV5 broadcasted a special
report on Indonesia. Through the program, we would like the world
to get to know Indonesia better. TV5 is a 24-hour station with
some 600 million potential viewers of Francophone nations all
over the world. The program, covering interviews with prominent
Indonesians, documentaries and a glimpse of the history of
Jakarta, is a good venue for viewers to know about current
affairs in Indonesia.
In term of training and education, we are trying to convince
Indonesians that France is a good place to study. Basically there
are no tuition fees in France. There are many areas to pursue and
France is also a good place with a good quality of life. There
may be a language barrier, but there will be training to master
French for those interested to undertake studies or training in
France.
Indonesia and France has signed a bilateral agreement on
educational and cultural cooperation. There is cooperation among
leading educational institutes from both countries. The French
government also offers a number of scholarships for higher
education every year to Indonesians.
What do you expect from France-Indonesia relations in the
future?
We have maintained our relationship with Indonesia through
this year that has been fraught with difficulties. There have
been many achievements. Promoting dialog is always good for
relations. Both Indonesia and France are playing dynamic roles
regionally and internationally and our cooperation will hopefully
remain mutually beneficial and beneficial for the world in all
aspects.