Khaleda kicks off Indonesian visit
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Bangladeshi Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia will begin her three-day state visit to Indonesia on Friday, the first by a Bangladeshi head of state in more than two decades.
After arriving in Jakarta on Friday evening, Zia will hold a meeting with President Megawati Soekarnoputri at the State Palace on Saturday.
"The Prime Minister will discuss various bilateral issues such as trade and other issues of common concern," ministry of foreign affairs spokesman Marty Natalegawa told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.
Marty said that as the leaders of two of the most populous Muslim countries in the world, Megawati and Zia would also discuss cooperation among members of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC).
"This will be a very important visit, not just for the two countries, but also for the region," he said.
Megawati visited Dhaka in June last year for the first time as President, although she visited the country back in 2000 as vice president.
The two leaders had several meetings in the past years in several international events such as the United Nations General Assembly session in September 2003 and before that in Kuala Lumpur on the sidelines of the Non-Aligned Movement Summit in February.
The last Bangladesh leader to visit Jakarta was Zia's husband, the slain president Ziaur Rahman in 1978.
During the visit the two countries were exploring greater economic trade opportunities.
In 2001-2002, Bangladeshi exports to Indonesia stood at US$5.6 million, while imports were worth $173.6 million. There is currently no Indonesian investment in Bangladesh.
Both Megawati and Zia are confronted with a multitude of their own domestic problems, such as poverty and disintegration issues.
In the upcoming visit, the two leaders are expected to sign several memoranda of understanding to improve trading and social opportunities.
The Prime Minister is also scheduled to hold meetings with Vice President Hamzah Haz and the Bangladesh community here.
The Prime Minister will leave Jakarta on Sunday, after laying a wreath at the Kalibata heroes cemetery.