RI remains attractive to investors
RI remains attractive to investors
French people all over the world are celebrating Bastille Day today to commemorate the founding of the nation. The French Ambassador to Indonesia, Herve Ladsous, talks to The Jakarta Post contributor, I. Christianto, about his country's national day, its political and economic ties and friendship with Indonesia. The following is an excerpt of the interview.
What makes this year's celebration of the French National Day distinct?
Let me first extend my greetings to readers of The Jakarta Post on the occasion of July 14, or Bastille Day as we call it. On this day we commemorate the founding of our nation and the French Revolution, which was the revolution of my country and is also significant for many other countries as it implies liberty and human rights.
This year is another year of celebration, a year in which France has seen major political events; the presidential election and parliamentary elections. Jacques Chirac won the presidential election in May for a second term.
Do you think there will be a policy shift toward Indonesia?
No. It is clear the French government won't make any shift in policy toward Indonesia. We will keep maintaining the relationship we have had with Indonesia as it has been going well so far, even through all the difficulties Indonesia has experienced.
We will further support Indonesia through political dialog in the reformasi process. We will also keep helping Indonesia in the economic, financial and investment fields. We are encouraging more investors to invest in Indonesia.
Specifically, how does your country support Indonesia?
I mentioned the reform process. Indeed it is a very important thing for us. We share the same recipe, that to emerge from the economic crisis we must be able to attract many more foreign investors. This is definitely important for Indonesia. We are also enhancing cooperation in other fields including working for a better judicial system, public accounting and intellectual property rights.
Just an example, in agriculture, we are assisting Indonesia to patent its agricultural products. France is well-known for its wines, and we can help Indonesia to patent its agricultural products. Areas in Indonesia will be able to promote certain agricultural products of good quality. For instance, promoting coffee, which is already popular in certain places. With a good quality product, consumers will have a guarantee of quality and farmers will in turn enjoy stable prices. We are also cooperating with the Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture to improve the agricultural sector, like the modernization of sugar production.
How would you encourage French investors to invest in Indonesia?
There has been a business delegation from my country that visited Indonesia to seek opportunities here. The delegation, comprising of businessmen from various fields, found that Indonesia was still attractive to foreign investors.
Meanwhile, the overall figure for French investments in Indonesia so far stands at US$4 billion. This may not be as huge as other foreign investors, but the investors are dealing with important sectors like trading and commerce, gas, oil and energy, public utilities and heavy industries. There are also French companies like the retailer Carrefour and hotel chain Accor, that continue to expand their businesses in Indonesia.
Carrefour, for instance, has set the quality standards for some goods, including agricultural products. Accor has supported Indonesia's tourist industry by expanding its hotel operations across the archipelago. Both companies have created new job openings in Indonesia.
I'd like to add, in term of trading, Indonesia has been a major Asian commercial partner for France for a long time. Bilateral trade totaled $1.2 billion last year, with a surplus of $600 million to Indonesia. Popular goods imported from Indonesia include textiles, clothes, furniture and wood products, agricultural and food products.
What about the relationship between the two nations in the social and cultural sector?
There have been significant events in this sector in Indonesia. We held the French Film Festival in several cities in Indonesia, which played an important role in the cultural relationship between the two countries. The annual French Film Festival, showing 20 films this year, has drawn many film enthusiasts.
Meanwhile, many in France have been showing an increasing interest in the Indonesian film scene, and we are supporting people with talent in filmmaking including actors, script writers and so on. Movie star Christine Hakim was chosen as a member of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival this year, which is France's way of acknowledging Indonesian talent in film.
Earlier this month, the French TV5 broadcasted a special report on Indonesia. Through the program, we would like the world to get to know Indonesia better. TV5 is a 24-hour station with some 600 million potential viewers of Francophone nations all over the world. The program, covering interviews with prominent Indonesians, documentaries and a glimpse of the history of Jakarta, is a good venue for viewers to know about current affairs in Indonesia.
In term of training and education, we are trying to convince Indonesians that France is a good place to study. Basically there are no tuition fees in France. There are many areas to pursue and France is also a good place with a good quality of life. There may be a language barrier, but there will be training to master French for those interested to undertake studies or training in France.
Indonesia and France has signed a bilateral agreement on educational and cultural cooperation. There is cooperation among leading educational institutes from both countries. The French government also offers a number of scholarships for higher education every year to Indonesians.
What do you expect from France-Indonesia relations in the future?
We have maintained our relationship with Indonesia through this year that has been fraught with difficulties. There have been many achievements. Promoting dialog is always good for relations. Both Indonesia and France are playing dynamic roles regionally and internationally and our cooperation will hopefully remain mutually beneficial and beneficial for the world in all aspects.