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resident Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is slated to depart to Berlin, Germany, and Budapest, Hungary, for a state visit this weekend.

The President will stay in Berlin from March 3 to 4 and continue his tour to Hungary until March 8. He will fly back to Jakarta on March 9.

Presidential spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said the visit was made on invitations from German President Joachim Gauck and Hungarian President Janos Ader. “The President’s visit seven months after German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s visit to Indonesia reflects the importance of the bilateral partnership between the two countries,” the spokesman said.

President Yudhoyono and Chancellor Merkel are slated to open the International Tourism Bourse (ITB) in Berlin. He also planned to meet and greet top German business leaders and Indonesian expatriates there.

In Budapest, the President will hold a bilateral meeting with his Hungarian counterpart and witness the signing of a memorandum of understanding on diplomacy training cooperation between the two countries. A meeting with Hungarian business leaders is also scheduled, Faizasyah said.

“The President’s visit to Hungary is expected to revitalize bilateral relations between Indonesia and one of the key nations in central and eastern Europe.”