Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Visiting US President Barack Obama said the US wants to become Indonesia`s biggest trade partner and investor.
He made the statement at a joint press conference with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono after holding a bilateral meeting at the Merdeka Palace here on Tuesday.
Right now the US was Indonesia`s third biggest trade partner and investor with trade between the two countries reaching US$21 billion in 2008.
"Just now President Yudhoyono said we are the third biggest trade partner and investor. We do not like to be number three. We want to be number one, and will do anything we can to become number one," he said.
To that end, Obama pledged he would gather US businessmen and investors and find economic opportunities in Indonesia.
President Yudhoyono meanwhile said on the occasion that economic cooperation between the two countries indeed could still be increased in view of the US`s great economic potentials and Indonesia`s fast economic growth.
President Yudhoyono and President Obama signed a comprehensive partnership agreement after the meeting.
The agreement was part of the efforts to increase concrete cooperation between Indonesia and the US in the future.
"We have agreed to increase cooperation in various fields with the main agenda in the fields of trade and investment, education, energy and environment," President Yudhoyono said.
President Yudhoyono said the comprehensive partnership agreement also covered security, democracy and empowerment of civil society.
At the meeting President Yudhoyono invited the US to invest in clean energy development, especially geothermal in Indonesia.
Indonesia and the US also agreed to cooperate in corruption eradication through law enforcement and also to discuss the future of the East Asia summit now also involving the US.
President Yudhoyono and President Obama also discussed regional issues such as the general elections in Myanmar, peace efforts in the Middle East and the role of G20 to promote world economic balance.(*)
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