Kazakhstan to open consulate in Jakarta to boost ties: Envoy

Wed, 10/15/2008 10:43 AM  |  World

Seeking to enhance ties with Indonesia, the Central Asian state of Kazakhstan plans to open its first-ever consulate in Jakarta next year. As a sign of goodwill, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev plans to visit Indonesia in the near future. In light of these positive developments in the countries' relations, Kazakhstan's non-resident Ambassador to Indonesia Mukhtar B. Tileuberdi,, who is based in Kuala Lumpur, granted The Jakarta Post's Veeramalla Anjaiah a written interview. The following are excerpts from the recent correspondence.

Question: What is the present state of relations between Kazakhstan and Indonesia?

Answer: Diplomatic relations between Kazakhstan and Indonesia were established on June 2, 1993.

The first official visit of (then) Indonesian president Soeharto to Kazakhstan in April 1995 became a significant event in mutual relations. The reciprocal visit of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev to Indonesia came in June 1995.

Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda paid an official visit to Kazakhstan from May 14-16, 2008. In the framework of the visit Hassan met Marat Tazhin, minister of foreign affairs of Kazakhstan, and discussed perspective directions of bilateral cooperation in different spheres, particularly in the areas of transport, tourism, education and development of a legal basis. Summing up the results of the meeting, the two ministers signed the protocol on enhancement of bilateral cooperation.

Today the political interaction between Kazakhstan and Indonesia is moving ahead.

The high level of political dialogue achieved between Kazakhstan and Indonesia shows the mutual interest of our countries for further development of mutually beneficial cooperation in all spheres of inter-state relations.

Could you shed some light on economic relations between the two countries?

The current level of trade and economic relations between Kazakhstan and Indonesia does not match the available potential. According to statistics, trade volume between Kazakhstan and Indonesia in 2007 was only US$34.23 million. The primary deterrent for increased trade is the absence of effective transport communications.

Today, the main drivers of economic growth in Kazakhstan are the extractive industries. Since 1991, Kazakhstan has increased the production of hydrocarbons by 225%; over the same period global output has grown by less than 1.3 times.

Kazakhstan has attracted about $40 billion in foreign direct investment as of August this year.

Today investors know Kazakhstan as a reliable partner that guarantees stability and mutually beneficial cooperation.

In this regard I would like to say that one of our priority objectives is to increase the level of economic relations between Kazakhstan and Indonesia and to find ways to invite Indonesian investors to Kazakhstan. We believe that Indonesia could also offer favorable economic projects for Kazakhstan's investment.

How does Indonesia figure in your country's foreign policy?

Being the largest Muslim nation and one of the key countries in the ASEAN region, Indonesia takes an important place in our foreign policy.

For a generally favorable atmosphere in bilateral relations it is extremely important that Kazakhstan and Indonesia hold a common position on the majority of key problems.

Kazakhstan has supported Indonesia's posts as a non-permanent representative on the UN Security Council, in the International Telecommunication Union for 2006-2010, ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) for 2007-2010, the International Fund on Agriculture Development, the International Postal Union, etc.

On the other hand, Indonesia welcomed the initiative of Kazakhstan when it called the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA). Representatives of the Foreign Ministry of this country participate as observers in the sessions of CICA's special working group on a regular basis.

Do you have any future plans to open your embassy in Jakarta?

Definitely. We are going to open our embassy in Indonesia in the future. Moreover I would like to inform you that our government is planning to open our consulate in Jakarta during the next year. At present, we have an Honorary Consulate in Jakarta, headed by Ibrahim Risjad.

Frankly speaking, many people in Indonesia do not know much about Kazakhstan. What are your plans to raise Kazakhstan's profile in Indonesia?

Kazakhstan is among the 10 largest states in the world. The country ranks ninth in the world in terms of its area (2,724.9 thousand square kilometers).

To raise Kazakhstan's profile in Indonesia we are planning to establish a Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan and the foreign ministry of Indonesia have already agreed to establish the above mentioned joint commission. The main objective of this commission is to foster better mutual understanding and to develop more friendly relations between the two countries.

We also plan to organize business forums with participation of major trade and business companies from both Kazakhstan and Indonesia.

Moreover, we intend to arrange press tours of Kazakhstan for the mass media of Indonesia.

Finally, in the context of raising Kazakhstan's profile in Indonesia, the government of Kazakhstan is planning to organize the state visit of our president, Nursultan Nazarbayev, to Indonesia. We believe that this visit will give a due impulse and activate the development of bilateral relations between Kazakhstan and Indonesia.

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