Indonesia is looking to cooperate with Romania on infrastructure, energy and agriculture projects in an effort to support Jakarta’s target of achieving economic growth of 7 percent by 2014.
Speaking after a meeting with Romania’s State Secretary for Global Affairs Doru Romulus Costea, the Foreign Ministry’s Director General for American and European Affairs, Retno L.P. Marsudi, said both
countries had identified their respective potential in key sectors and would follow up with their related ministries.
“We need lots of investment in infrastructure to reach economic growth of 7 percent by 2014. Romania has offered to invest in infrastructure, oil and gas, as well as agriculture,” Retno said.
Indonesia’s Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) said it needed Rp 2,000 trillion (US$200 billion) a year in investment to achieve the economic growth target. Jakarta is also seeking to increase bilateral trade with Romania, which stood at $60.8 million in 2009, down 27.3 percent from $87.5 million in 2008.
Retno said Jakarta had similarly approached the EU and EU member states to solve issues related to Indonesia’s access to their markets.
“With the admission of Romania into the EU, its regulations are now decided in Brussel. But we can also organize bilateral discussions to see what they can bring to the table to help solve our trade issues [with the EU],” she said.
Tuesday’s meeting was the first in five years, with the last bilateral dialog held in Bucharest in 2005. Romania joined the EU in 2007.
Costea said Romania’s admission into the EU benefited bilateral relations with Indonesia as Jakarta would have more partners for its economic development.
“If we develop, our partner will also profit. Romania can help Indonesia reach European markets because we have better infrastructure [with the admission into the EU],” he said.
He also expressed Romania’s interest in developing better relations with ASEAN, where Indonesia is the largest economy.
Costea said the meeting also touched on the issue of Kosovo, whose unilateral declaration for independence in 2008 is not recognized by either Romania or Indonesia.
“We have not recognized the independence of Kosovo and have been involved in this debates at the
Hague [at the International Court of Justice]. We stated our arguments and are not likely to change our position. We are very happy that Indonesia also shares our position,”
he said.
Kosovo declared independence from Serbia with the support of major European countries and the US. Jakarta said it would not recognize the unilateral declaration of independence of any nation, sticking to its foreign policy of respecting sovereignty.
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