RI, Venezuela hold talks in Bandung

JAKARTA: Indonesia and Venezuela will hold their second Joint Commission meeting in Bandung, West Java, this week to strengthen bilateral relations.

The commission's Venezuelan delegation will be led by Venezuelan deputy foreign minister William E. Izarra, the Venezuelan Embassy in Jakarta said in a release sent to The Jakarta Post.

"The Joint Commission meeting will be held in Bandung from Sept. 5 to 6, 2005. Besides this, Izarra will meet with Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda in Jakarta on Wednesday and visit both Indonesia's House of Representatives and People's Consultative Assembly," the embassy said.

Izarra, who arrived in Jakarta on Saturday, will also meet on Monday morning the ambassadors/heads of diplomatic missions of Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Yemen, United Arab Emirates, Timor Leste and Uzbekistan to discuss activating diplomatic relations.

The visit of Izarra and his entourage, which will leave Indonesia on Wednesday night, is also aimed at initiating a Venezuelan-Indonesian Business Council to boost trade between the two countries. -- JP