Kohl's planned visit expected to improve RI-Germany ties

Kohl's planned visit expected to improve RI-Germany ties

JAKARTA (JP): Relations between Germany and Indonesia look set
to become even closer in the near future with the expected visit
here of German Chancellor Helmut Kohl later this month and new
avenues of cooperation in education and commerce being explored.

With bilateral ties already highly developed, Kohl's third
visit here as German Chancellor will seek to further cement the
strong political and economic links.

He is expected to arrive here on Oct. 26 for a two-day visit.

Apart from Kohl's visit, various efforts are being pushed to
further cultivate the relationship, according to German
Ambassador Heinrich Seemann.

Briefing journalists yesterday, Seemann said he has a vision
of developing a German Center in Jakarta to facilitate further
commercial traffic between the two countries.

The center would function as a gateway and facilitate small
and medium German enterprises who wish to establish branches
here, he said.

Seemann stressed the importance of small and medium
enterprises which he says are "the backbone of the German
economy."

"It will be a resource and reference center for small and
medium scale enterprises to start up their business," he said.

While a date has yet to be fixed, the Bumi Serpong Damai real
estate complex in Tangerang has been identified as the locale for
the development of the center.

Seemann explained that for smaller industrial companies,
making a move to a country in Asia, like Indonesia, is often a
formidable challenge. Requirements such as renting office space
and clerical help can be quite a chore for a German businessman
unaccustomed to the surroundings.

The availability of a business center would be an attractive
incentive, he said, as has been proven with the opening of a
multistory German center in Singapore.

In the area of education, Jakarta is also looking into ways of
adopting Germany's dual system of education, in which students
receive vocational training both in the classroom and in the
workplace through apprenticeships in the private sector.

"The Indonesian government has expressed an interest in
adopting a similar system," Seemann said, adding that there are
currently some 25 German experts here assisting with the possible
implementation of the system. (mds)