Cooperation with Indonesia

Cooperation with Indonesia

Indonesian President Megawati Soekarnoputri's three-day visit
to Pakistan is a milestone event in that it will not only help
renew traditional ties of friendship and cooperation between the
two countries, but will lead to greater cooperation in areas that
have long been neglected in the past.

Indonesia is an emerging economic power in Southeast Asia and
is seen as a key player in an important and vibrant region. Any
agreement that will allow Pakistan easy access to this market on
a reciprocal basis is bound to be beneficial to our exporters and
other traders.

In this regard, the understanding by the two governments to
intensify private sector collaboration is expected to go a long
way in promoting trade and economic cooperation. Pakistan needs
to look at Indonesia as a potential source of foreign investment
and the agreement between the two governments is expected to help
encourage Indonesian investors to come and assess possibilities
here.

Like Pakistan, Indonesia is a Muslim country that is also
playing an important role in the war against terror. Similarly,
Indonesia has suffered from acts of terrorism in the past and is
also home to some religious groups that believe in and practice a
more militant form of Islam.

Both Indonesia and Pakistan embody the moderate face of Islam.
Cooperation between the two will help dispel paranoiac
impressions about Muslims and Islam in some quarters in the West
and elsewhere.

Further, with special reference to Pakistan, Indonesia is seen
as a transit country by some unscrupulous elements involved in
trafficking illicit drugs and illegal immigration. Consequently,
over the past few years there has been a rise in drugs and
immigrants that end up in Indonesia originating from Pakistan.

In a banquet for the visiting dignitary, President Musharraf
stressed the need to build synergies between south-east Asia and
South Asia to create a favorable climate for the Asian region as
a whole. This is a sound path to follow and with the process of
normalization of ties between India and Pakistan underway, one
can hope for greater cooperation between the two regions in the
near future, perhaps at the level of Saarc and ASEAN.

In this regard, Indonesia should favor Pakistan's interest in
joining ASEAN in an observer capacity keeping in view the
importance this country attaches to developments in south-east
Asia.

-- The Dawn, Karachi