Hassan signs agreements with Baku and Tashkent to boost ties

Veeramalla Anjaiah , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Mon, 05/19/2008 11:50 AM | World

Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda last week visited Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan to strengthen Indonesia's relations with these three countries and sign various agreements.

During his two-day stay in Baku, Hassan met with Azerbaijan's leaders, including President Ilham Aliyev, Prime Minister Artur Rasi-zade, Parliament Speaker Ogtay Asadov and Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov, to discuss bilateral and multilateral issues.

"Both countries's foreign ministers signed the agreement on economic and technical cooperation between the two countries. They also signed another agreement on visa exemptions for diplomatic and service/official passport holders," Azerbaijan Embassy's second secretary for press affairs, Narmina Aslanova, told The Jakarta Post last week.

Minister Hassan, Narmina said, attended the opening ceremony of a business forum in Baku. A group of Indonesian businesspeople accompanied Hassan during his trip to the three countries.

The Azerbaijan Embassy also said in a press release that Hassan visited the tomb of Azerbaijan's first president, Heydar Aliyev, at the Alley of Honors and the Alley of Martyrs.

The oil-rich Azerbaijan opened its embassy in Jakarta in 2005. Since then trade between Indonesia and Azerbaijan has grown at a fast rate. In 2007, bilateral trade reached a record high of US$396.3 million, thanks to Indonesia's purchase of Azerbaijan oil and gas products.

From Baku, Hassan continued his journey to Uzbekistan, a rising star in Central Asia.

In Tashkent, Hassan met with Uzbekistan President Islam Karimov.

"We consider your visit as another manifestation of mutual interest in developing cooperation," Karimov said while welcoming Hassan, according to UzA news agency.

Hassan also met Speaker of the Legislative Chamber of Oliy Majlis of Uzbekistan Dilorom Tashmuhamedova and Foreign Minister Vladimir Norov.

During his meetings with Uzbek leaders, the Uzbekistan Embassy in Jakarta said, Hassan discussed "issues of strengthening cooperation between Uzbekistan and Indonesia in all fields".

"The two governments signed memoranda of understanding to establish a joint commission for bilateral cooperation, and between the University of World Economy and Diplomacy of the Foreign Ministry of Uzbekistan and ... Indonesia on cooperation in education and skills development in the diplomatic sphere," the Uzbekistan Embassy said in a statement sent to the Post

Hassan and his delegation visited Hazrati Imam complex in Tashkent.

Trade between Uzbekistan, a major cotton producer, and Indonesia in 2007 soared by 168 percent from 2006 to $28 million.

The Indonesian delegation also visited Kazakhstan and discussed various issues of mutual interest with the country's leaders.

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