Polish President to visit Indonesia
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski will meet with President Megawati Soekarnoputri when he arrives in Indonesia on Feb. 24 for a three-day trade visit.
In a press briefing on Tuesday, Poland's Ambassador to Indonesia Krysztof Szumski said Kwasniewski would be the first democratically elected Polish president to visit Indonesia.
"The visit is a confirmation of the warm relations between the two countries. In 2005 we will celebrate the 50-year anniversary of our bilateral relations," the ambassador said.
The three-day visit will start with talks between Kwasniewski and Megawati on Feb. 24 at the Merdeka Palace.
The Indonesian trip is part of the president's Southeast Asian tour, which starts in Singapore.
On the second day he will witness at the signing of at least four memoranda of understanding between state-owned enterprises in the two countries.
"We are working on some projects and will sign several agreements between state-owned enterprises," Szumski said.
The deals to be signed include cooperation in aviation, telecommunication and shipyard projects.
That day, Kwasniewski will also attend an economic forum. Accompanying him will be executives from 14 Polish companies.
The companies deal with shipyards, fix-wing aircraft manufacturing, helicopter manufacturing, chemical and pharmaceutical products, heavy equipment and communications, such as radars, and oil and gas.
"Military equipment is one of the many points of discussion between the two countries," Szumski said when asked about possible cooperation in the arms industry.
Polish imports from Indonesia reached US$250 million, while Indonesian exports were valued at US$17.2million last year.
"We hope Indonesia will buy more from Poland," he said.
During the visit, the Polish president will also hold a meeting with People's Consultative Assembly Speaker Amien Rais and House of Representatives Speaker Akbar Tandjung.
Kwasniewski will also spend his time at Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII) park, where he will visit the Central Java, West Sumatra and South Sulawesi pavilions.
He will leave for Bangkok on Feb. 26, the last leg of his Southeast Asian trip.