When it comes to Argentina, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyhono is no different to the ordinary Indonesian — who recognizes the South American nation’s soccer achievements.

During bilateral talks with Argentinean President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner at the Merdeka Palace on Thursday, Yudhoyono openly applauded his Argentinean counterpart for the country’s remarkable soccer record.

“The Indonesian people are amazed by many Argentinean players, such as Mario Kempes, Maradona and Lionel Messi. President Fernandez has agreed to initiate a scheme in which Indonesian players can be trained [in Argentina] in the future,” Yudhoyono told a joint press conference at the Palace.

The bilateral meeting was postponed for about two hours due to the heavy downpour that led to massive flooding and a traffic standstill in many of Jakarta’s main streets.

The Palace awoke to 20-centimeter-deep water in the morning but it was quickly drained before Fernandez’ motorcade arrived at about 12:30 p.m.

“I welcome such a proposal, although I will not do it myself because I cannot play soccer. My agreement was based [on the fact] that Argentina has the experience and is the greatest producer of soccer players in the world. Well, the Brazilians may not agree with me and Dilma Rousseff [Brazil’s President] could be mad at me [for making such a claim],” President Fernandez said responding to Yudhoyono’s soccer proposal.

She added that she had formally invited Yudhoyono to visit Argentina, specifically the Boca Juniors Stadium. Before ending her statement, Fernandez handed the Argentinean national team’s soccer jersey to Yudhoyono.

Minister-level officials from both countries signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) in the sectors of air transportation, agriculture and investment.

“Indonesia and Argentina are fellow G20 members. We both agree to utilize the South-South mechanism to improve our roles at the global level,” Yudhoyono said.

Before the Yudhoyono-Fernandez meeting, Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa had bilateral talks with his Argentinean counterpart Hector Macos Timerman shortly after the Argentinean delegation arrived in Jakarta on Wednesday.

The Argentinean delegation is expected to leave Indonesia for Vietnam on Friday.

Yudhoyono’s meeting with the leader of one of South America’s largest economies was also historical as Fernandez was the first Argentinean president to make a state visit to Indonesia.

Popular

Govt eyes September for mass relocation of civil servants to Nusantara

Govt claims 'mudik' 2024 traffic management a success

Public hopes swell ahead of election dispute ruling