RI, Hungary pave way for cooperation

RI, Hungary pave way for cooperation

JAKARTA: Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda
and Hungarian Minister of Informatics and Communications Kalman
Kovacs signed on Oct. 17 the Protocol of the First Session of the
Joint Commission on Economic Cooperation to pave the way for
bilateral economic cooperation.

The Indonesian Embassy in Hungary said the joint commission
would allow the two countries to cooperate in economic sectors
such as trade, technology, industry and energy, infrastructure
and investment, defense industry and technology, small and medium
enterprises, finance and banking, agriculture, science, research
and technology, and tourism.

The first session of the joint commission will be held in
Jakarta, but the embassy did not provide a date.

The joint commission follows an earlier bilateral meeting
between Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and
Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany in July, when they
signed an agreement of economic cooperation.

The embassy said in a statement that Indonesia had also
offered investment opportunities to Hungarian businessmen.

Hassan and his Hungarian counterpart Ferenc Somogyi also
established a mechanism for bilateral consultations through a
memorandum of understanding.

The protocol was signed during a three-day visit to Hungary by
Hassan from Oct. 17 to Oct. 19, during which he also met with
Parliament Speaker Katalin Szili. -- JP