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