Norwegian FM visits Indonesia to boost bilateral relations
Norwegian FM visits Indonesia to boost bilateral relations
Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Norwegian Foreign Minister Jan Peterson, who came here on Saturday on a three-day visit, and his Indonesian counterpart Hassan Wirayuda, held bilateral talks on Sunday in Jakarta, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a release.
Both ministers discussed a strategy to boost bilateral ties and explored the idea of establishing an Indonesia-Norway joint commission. The commission, if launched, would become a medium for Norway and Indonesia to enhance bilateral cooperation in many fields jointly agreed by the two countries, the release said.
"The meeting between the Indonesian and Norwegian foreign ministers will open a new chapter in relations between the two countries. It will be an attempt to widen and boost bilateral ties, including in the fishery and marine sector as well as in trade and investment areas," the statement said.
Indonesia has signed five bilateral agreements -- Trade in 1951, Aviation (1971), Avoidance of Double Taxation (1988), Investment Guarantees (1994) and Improvement and Protection of Investment (1994) -- with Norway so far.
Hassan and Peterson also discussed preparations for the forthcoming dialog on human rights, which will be held from May 4 through May 5 in Jakarta. Since its launch in 2002, the dialog has been working as a platform for both countries to cooperate within the field of human rights. Norway, a non-European Union country with a population of 4.4 million, offers training and education in the field of human rights to Indonesians, and support to the judicial system.
The two countries have signed a letter of intent to combat widespread illegal logging; it also covers the timber trade and timber products.
Peterson was scheduled to meet Minister of Trade and Industry Rini Soewandi on the last day of his tour, on Monday.
Peterson's visit comes at a time when exiled leaders of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) have begun relocating some of their activities from Sweden to Norway, which has a more liberal refugee policy than Sweden.
In its latest edition, the Hong Kong-based Far Eastern Economic Review, quoting GAM officials, said that within the last three years some 200 political refugees from Aceh had gone to Norway and opted to settle there.
GAM was forced to move its base from Sweden to Norway amid stepped-up efforts by Jakarta to prove the exiled leaders were engaged in terrorist activities.