Chilean president to visit Indonesia
Veeramalla Anjaiah, Jakarta
Chilean President Ricardo Lagos will arrive in Jakarta on Wednesday for a two-day state visit and meet with President Megawati Soekarnoputri on the same day.
While speaking at a press conference on Friday, Chilean Ambassador to Indonesia James Sinclair said it would be the first time that a Chilean President had paid a state visit to Indonesia.
"Actually, President Lagos visited Indonesia in November 2000 and met the then Vice President Megawati in Bali. But it was a short working visit to Indonesia. At that time, he was passing through Indonesia on his way to Brunei Darussalam to attend the APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation) meeting," Sinclair said.
The relations between Chile, a country of 15 million, and Indonesia, the fourth most populous country in the world, are warm and cordial and many have high hopes for further cooperation.
"This visit will certainly boost Chile's relations with Indonesia further," the ambassador said.
The total value of bilateral trade was US$155 million, a big jump from $128.2 million in 2001 and $150.2 million in 2002. Indonesia's exports to Chile, one of the largest copper producers and exporters in the world, reached $78 million in 2003, at 9.3 percent drop compared to the $86 million of exports in 2002. But Indonesia's imports from Chile rose to $77 million in 2003 from $64.2 million in 2002.
The two-day visit will begin with official talks between Lagos and Megawati on Wednesday at the Merdeka Palace and the two leaders will sign a bilateral agreement on economic and technical cooperation.
In the evening, Megawati will host a state banquet in honor of Lagos and his entourage, which includes ministers and high ranking officials.
On Thursday morning, the President will attend a wreath laying ceremony at the Kalibata National Heroes' Cemetery in Jakarta. Later, Lagos will visit Istiqlal Mosque -- the largest in Southeast Asia -- and deliver a public lecture on "APEC: Cooperation and Diversity toward the 21st Century" at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies.
Chile will host the APEC summit in November this year.
Before leaving for Singapore on Thursday evening, Lagos will attend a business luncheon, hosted by the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Trade (Kadin) and the Chilean Embassy in Jakarta.
The Indonesian visit is part of a 10-day global tour for Lagos starting in South Africa, where he will attend the celebrations of first decade of freedom on Tuesday. Besides Indonesia and South Africa, Lagos will also visit Singapore and New Zealand.
The two countries have many things in common. Both countries suffered under authoritarian regimes -- Soeharto in Indonesia and Pinochet in Chile -- for many decades. The 66-year-old Lagos, a veteran in the fight for democracy, and Megawati, the first female president of Indonesia who struggled against the Soeharto regime, may also share their experiences in coping with problems that emerged during the transition period from an authoritarian regime to a multi-party democracy.