Dutch deputy PM visits RI to boost ties

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Wed, 05/31/2006 1:38 PM

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Netherlands Deputy Prime Minister Laurens Jan Brinkhorst is visiting Indonesia from Wednesday to Saturday to foster business and economic relations between the two countries, the Dutch Embassy said.

""The main objective of the visit is to boost economic ties between Indonesia and The Netherlands,"" Royal Dutch Ambassador to Indonesia Nikolaos van Dam told The Jakarta Post in Jakarta.

The deputy prime minister, who is also the economics minister, is scheduled to meet President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and several Cabinet ministers, including Coordinating Minister for the Economy Boediono, Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda, Public Works Minister Djoko Kirmanto, Transportation Minister Hatta Radjasa and State Minister for the Environment Rachmat Witoelar.

Brinkhorst will also meet head of the Aceh-Nias Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Agency (BRR) Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso and East Java Governor Imam Utomo.

Brinkhorst will be traveling with a group of Dutch businesspeople.

The Dutch business delegates will be headed by Bernard Wientjes, chairman of Dutch business association VNO-NCW.

The Dutch delegates represent 35 companies that work in the energy sector, railways, bridge and road building, ship construction, finance and medicine.

During the meeting, Indonesia will discuss its strategy to attract investors, especially in the infrastructure sector, according to a statement given to the press from the Netherlands Embassy.

The Dutch businesspeople will meet local businesspeople in Jakarta and Surabaya, East Java.

Netherlands Embassy spokesman Maarten Mulder confirmed the visit Tuesday, saying that the delegates had not changed their plans in spite of the deadly earthquake in Yogyakarta.

Copyright © 2008 The Jakarta Post - PT Bina Media Tenggara. All Rights Reserved.