Swedish official visits Indonesia to boost ties

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Sweden, a small but prosperous Northern European nation, is sending its most senior official to Indonesia this week to foster the existing close ties between the two countries and to discuss the latest situation in Aceh, Swedish ambassador to Indonesia Lennart Linner said in Jakarta on Tuesday.

"Sweden's director general for political affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Olof Skoog, is visiting Indonesia from Oct. 11 to Oct. 14, 2005," ambassador Linner said in a press release sent to The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

During his three-day visit, Skoog will meet Vice President Jusuf Kalla, Minister of Justice and Human Rights Hamid Awaluddin, Skoog's counterpart at the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other officials, Linner said.

Skoog, an experienced career-diplomat, is scheduled to visit Aceh from Oct.13 to Oct.14.

Though most of the Free Aceh Movement's leaders live in its territory, Sweden strongly supports the peace process in Aceh. It is providing not only logistical support for the Aceh Monitoring Mission (AMM) but also giving US$5 million in cash and providing personnel.

Sweden, a big donor to last year's tsunami victims, has so far provided US$33 million to Indonesia, especially for the recovery and reconstruction of Aceh.