Indonesian-Dutch bilateral ties strengthen

JAKARTA (JP): The Netherlands Ambassador to Indonesia says bilateral relations between the Netherlands and Indonesia have strengthened significantly over the last year.

Paul R. Brower said the bilateral relationship had flourished since the successful state visit of H.M. Queen Beatrix in August 1995.

The visit was instrumental in stimulating a number of fields to expand, particularly direct investment and joint ventures, he said.

"In fact, direct investment between Indonesia increased from US$360 billion in 1995 to $1.2 billion in the first six months of 1996."

The Queen's visit was paralleled by an economic mission, led by the Minister for Economic Affairs, H.E.H. Wijers.

The delegation, with 64 companies, is the largest yet to visit Indonesia.

"Many of the new initiatives to come out of the state visit are in the fields of education and human resources development," he said.

Dutch businesses made available an 18-month study-traineeship program after the visit. The program, which is supported by the Ministry for Economic Affairs, links Indonesian students, mostly postgraduate, into an internship in a Dutch company.

This in turn is linked directly to study at a university or institute of vocational education, he said.

It is a two-way program.

Indonesian students and employees will be able to study and train in the Netherlands as will Dutch students in Indonesia. More Dutch students should study in Indonesia, he said.

Direct cooperation between institutions are encouraged and are working well, "I am confident this will continue to grow," he said.

"Universities in Indonesia and the Netherlands have had a traditional long-term relationship. There are many Indonesian students studying in the Netherlands but as yet there are few Dutch students studying in Indonesia," he said.

New initiatives in technology, energy, medical and environmental technology, transport, infrastructure, sustainable forestry, agriculture and the development of small and medium enterprises are also being forged.

INDON ESTC recently launched a technological cooperation program to intensify industrial and scientific cooperation between firms in the Netherlands and Indonesia.

It brings together industrial enterprises, research organizations and government institutions, he said.

This was marked last Tuesday and Wednesday by a Brokerage Conference in Jakarta where 140 business delegates, officials from the ministries of foreign affairs, energy and education gathered to participate in the business matchmaking exercise.

Legal cooperation was established between the ministries of justice, also after the state visit, with the signing of a memorandum of understanding.

One of the outcomes of this cooperation will be the founding of a library with legal reference books and documentation at Erasmus Huis this year, he said.

The cultural center, Erasmus Huis, plays a big part in the strengthening of ties, he said.

Most ties are made in shared information, both culturally and in other ways.

"The intense round of cultural activities at Erasmus Huis is designed to increase our mutual understanding," he said.

"Indonesia and the Netherlands have a long shared history, there is a lot of shared knowledge between them. And they know a lot about each other. This is a good platform for their current relationship," he said.

Another very positive outcome of the state visit was the agreement between the ministers of foreign affairs to an annual meeting.

The first one since the state visit was in the Netherlands last year, "I hope the one later this year will be in Jakarta," he said.