Hassan to visit Gulf countries

Hassan to visit Gulf countries

JAKARTA: Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda will make an
immediate trip to three Gulf countries in a bid to boost
bilateral ties between Indonesia and the oil-rich Arab states.

Hassan and his entourage will fly for Doha this Saturday and
will hold talks with his Qatari counterpart Sheikh Hamad bin
Jasim bin Jabr al-Thani. The Indonesian minister is expected to
arrive in Kuwait on Monday for a meeting with Deputy Prime
Minister/Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Akhmad al-Jabir al-
Sabah. The Gulf visit will stop at Abu Dhabi, where Hassan is
scheduled to encounter United Arab Emirates counterpart Sheikh
Rashid al-Nuaymi on Tuesday.

Indonesia opened diplomatic ties with Kuwait in 1968, and
eight years later with Qatar and UAE.

Hassan will continue the Gulf trip to Durban, South Africa,
where he will represent Indonesia in the Non-Aligned Movement
ministerial meeting between April 24 and April 29. -- JP