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RI, Poland boost energy and coal ties
A Polish delegation of a deputy minister and prominent businessmen came to Indonesia on Monday to enhance trade ties, the deputy minister said
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Polish delegation of a deputy minister and prominent businessmen came to Indonesia on Monday to enhance trade ties, the deputy minister said.
As part of his trip, Polish Deputy Economic Minister Maciej Kaliski signed a letter of intent with officials at the Indonesian Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry to improve cooperation between the two countries on energy and coal mining.
“Poland is one of the countries in the European Union that has immense natural resources, especially coal,” Kaliski told reporters at the Four Seasons Hotel in Jakarta.
Maciej Kaliski: AP
He said Poland had been exploiting its high-quality and abundant coal for more than 20 years, and was one of the European countries exporting coal. “We are experienced in this field and we can share our experience and expertise when needed to exploit [coal] with the best practices,” he said.
Kaliski did not confirm whether there would be an investment commitment by Polish companies to be signed during the trip.
“The most important thing is [for Indonesian and Polish businesspeople] to reach a common understanding on business agreements [they may have] in the future. We can only know what happens next after the business meeting,” he said.
But he said Poland was ready to disburse loans worth US$300 million for Polish companies willing to invest in Indonesia.
Kaliski was accompanied by businesspeople representing 12 Polish companies operating in the military and civilian equipment, mining, business and professional services and transportation sectors.
Among the companies, FAMUR and KOPEX already operate in Indonesia. FAMUR supplies high-tech equipment and machinery for mining while KOPEX operates in underground mining, open cast mining and brown coal.
Regarding cooperation in the defense industry, Kaliski said there was no commitment to joint production between the two countries on primary military equipment, nor commitment to investment by Polish companies, despite the fact that Indonesia was improving its military equipment.
In contrast to Kaliski’s statement denying coming Polish investment, Indonesian Ambassador to Poland Darmansjah Djumala says Indonesia is inviting the Polish delegation to come to the archipelago to invest in coal mining, power plants, seaports and the defense industry.
“It is the Indonesian Embassy’s [in Poland] own initiative to invite Polish businessmen to invest in Indonesia because Poland is known for its high-tech coal mining, it has positive economic growth during this latest crisis, which means its economy is stable and they have money, and it sees China and Indonesia as big markets,” Djumala said.
He said the latest business meeting was a follow-up to a similar one held in Warsaw in May, which concluded with three memorandums of understanding on turbines, remote sensors and conveyor belts.
According to the Trade Ministry, the two-way non-oil-and-gas trade stood at $359 million in 2010, with Indonesia having a $267.6 million surplus, up from $333 million in two-way trade the previous year with $186.5 million surplus favoring Indonesia.
