Queen Beatrix to witness signing of 30 business deals

JAKARTA (JP): Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands is scheduled to witness the signing of business agreements between Indonesian and Dutch companies on Aug. 22, Indonesian Ambassador in The Hague J.B. Soedarmanto Kadarisman said.

Beatrix, who will be accompanied by her husband Prince Claus, is expected to begin her visit in Indonesia on Monday Aug. 21, four days after Indonesia commemorated its 50th Independence Day, until Aug. 31.

"The queen will witness the signing of 30 business agreements, that will take place during the Indonesian Product Exhibition '95," Soedarmanto said, Antara reported yesterday.

President Soeharto opened the Rp 15 billion (US$6.7 million) showcase, which occupies an indoor area of 4.5 hectares and an outdoor arena of 15,000 square meters at the Jakarta Fair grounds. About 350 delegations from 43 countries are expected to visit the event, participated in by 1,100 private and state-owned companies.

Soedarmanto said that a delegation of 61 leading Dutch business people, together with Finance Minister Hans Weijers, will accompany the queen during her visit.

"The business delegation will be the largest ever sent by the Netherlands, along with their head of state, to Indonesia," Soedarmanto said.

He added that the large number of the delegation members shows the strong interest of the Netherlands to increase its relations with Indonesia.

"We expect that the delegation's visit will increase trade and investment relations between the two countries," he said.

The Netherlands is currently Indonesia's fifth largest foreign investor, with total cumulative commitments of US$7.2 billion for 134 projects, as of the end of 1994. This is followed by Japan, with a total investment of $18.62 billion; Hong Kong, with $14.14 billion; Britain, with $9.68 billion; and the United States, with $8.65 billion, according to the Indonesian Investment Coordinating Board.

Data from the Central Bureau of Statistics shows that Indonesia's exports to the Netherlands increased to $1.32 billion last year from $1.08 billion in 1993, while its import from the European country dropped to $563.73 million from $626.0 million. (31)