Letter: Ambassador Farmer's response

Fri, 05/30/2008 4:41 PM  |  Reader's Forum

I cannot agree with S.P. Seth's argument in his article, "Australia needs to stop focusing on China and look to all of Asia" (The Jakarta Post, May 28), that Australia has taken scant notice of Indonesia.

Next month, the Australian prime minister will visit Indonesia, his second visit in six months.

In that same period, nine other Australian ministers have visited this country, we have announced a multi-million dollar plan for Asian language programs, including Bahasa Indonesia, and the Australian budget foreshadowed an A$462 million (Rp 3.6 trillion) development cooperation program with Indonesia for 2008-09, Australia's largest program anywhere.

We've also signed a new cooperation agreement between our two national libraries, we've sponsored visits this month by senior media editors and Muslim leaders from Australia, we've begun an extensive program of transportation safety cooperation and the two countries have ratified the Lombok Treaty on security cooperation.

There is more, of course, and the fact is that Australia and Indonesia are working together very extensively. This is what you would expect of two neighboring countries, both of which are committed to a genuine partnership of real substance.

BILL FARMER
Australian Ambassador to Indonesia
Jakarta

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