Delegations consisting of high-ranking officials from the Polish ministries of economy and defense will be coming to Indonesia in November to pursue a higher level of cooperation as the two countries strive to increase trade volume, a Polish official said Tuesday.
Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Ryszard Schnepf, who is in charge of relations with Asia and the Pacific, met with Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda, Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono and State Minister for Development Planning Paskah Suzetta during a four-day visit to the country.
"In meetings with them, we discussed the current status of Indonesia-Poland relations and how the statistics don't reflect the possibilities. I believe there's room for more activities in the commercial area," Schnepf said.
He said Poland was looking to bolster its presence in Asia, and that Indonesia was one of the key countries if Poland was to achieve that objective.
"Poland is a fit gateway for Indonesian products into the European market," he said.
The countries hope to double last year's trade volume of around US$500 million within the next three years, with Indonesia currently enjoying a large surplus due to exports of textiles, chemical materials, coffee and sugar.
Polish Prime Minister Marek Belka paid a visit to Indonesia in July 2005.
Indonesia in May organized its first-ever trade expo in Central and Eastern Europe in the Polish capital of Warsaw. Around 1,500 visitors from several countries attended the four-day event.
Like Russia, Poland is also a major supplier of military equipment to Indonesia.
Schnepf said Poland did not have any political ambitions in Asia, stressing that "relations are purely commercial".
Arriving late Sunday, the deputy minister was also in Jakarta to attend the two-day second regional conference of 18 Polish ambassadors to Asian and Pacific countries.
"Jakarta was picked as the location because we feel it is a very important partner to us and is one of the most dynamic countries in the region," he said.
Schnepf also opened two Polish honorary consulates in Surabaya, East Java, and Denpasar, Bali, although he did not travel there.
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