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)