S

em>Szilveszter Bus: (Courtesy of The Hungarian Embassy)President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is on a state visit to Hungary from March 6 to 8, where he will touch on a wide range of trade and political issues during his talks with Hungarian President János Áder and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in a common effort to develop bilateral relations. The previous visit to Hungary was by President Megawati Sukarnoputri in 2002, while Hungarian President László Sólyom visited Indonesia in 2008. Hungarian Ambassador to Indonesia Szilveszter Bus gave an overview over the visit to The Jakarta Post’s Yohanna Ririhena. Here are the excerpts:

Question: What does the visit of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono mean for bilateral ties?

Answer: We are excited to receive President Yudhoyono in Hungary — following-up on the visit by the Hungarian president in 2008. This visit, besides reaffirming the close and mutually beneficial ties between our countries, highlights the great potential that we show each other.

Thanks to the work of recent years, Hungarian-Indonesian relations are modern in structure and future-oriented in outlook. Hungary is very receptive to Indonesia’s aims to expand its economic horizons to markets which are not considered traditional by Indonesian companies. Needless to say, we are working very hard to make sure that Hungary and Indonesia see each other as traditional markets and partners.

Our economies are very complementary. Despite distances, we believe there is an elementary interest from companies in both countries in making sure no potential goes to waste in our trade relations.

What will be the highlight when Yudhoyono meets with Hungarian leaders?

Hungary’s policy of developing stronger relationships with partners in Asia — our Eastern Opening —takes us naturally to expanding ties with Indonesia, a leader in Southeast Asia and a focal point of the ASEAN integration.

Southeast Asia is a success story in this Eastern Opening, a big part of which is the dynamism of our relations with the countries our embassy in Jakarta is also accredited to.

We share Indonesia’s aspiration for a stable, peaceful and rapidly developing Southeast Asia — we also encourage Indonesia to support other, less fortunate regions with its experiences and democratic values.

Indonesia’s active role in international affairs, its stronger presence on the global stage is very promising for the future of both our regions. During the visit, the leaders will witness the signing of a document that aims to strengthen our cooperation in diplomatic training — so that both our countries can make their voices heard even more effectively on the global stage.

What opportunities could Hungary offer to Indonesia to increase bilateral trade?

Hungary is a key player in the fast growing, dynamic Central and Eastern European region, it is also strategically located so that it provides access to many markets besides its own. Hungary offers a favorable investment climate for foreign companies — our Hungarian-Indonesian Joint Economic Commission and the Joint Business Council are supporting a wide range of economic cooperation.

We are looking for partners in the info-communications sector, in water management, environmental protection and healthcare, as well as providing top quality Hungarian engineering expertise to the many development projects in Indonesia.

We have a competitive higher education system that has a long tradition of excellence — we hope to share its qualities with Indonesian students through scholarships and exchanges, with new possibilities to be announced.

There are many fresh connections made between our respective higher education institutions and we encourage direct contacts and partnerships between interested institutions. Several universities in Yogyakarta are already pioneering such partnerships with their Hungarian counterparts in Budapest, Debrecen and Eger.

I have visited many universities in Indonesia and can affirm that we would be very pleased to receive many of their bright minds in Hungary to share our expertise.

Just as the relations between our countries have so many aspects and dimensions, I see my work as Ambassador to Indonesia in the same way: I try to break out of hotel ballrooms into the real world, to meet students informally, to spend evenings in Glodok working with charities, helping the homeless and offering food and clothing to those in need.

I am confident that thinking outside of the box — or the ballroom — will bring long lasting results in our relationship, not just on the streets of Jakarta, but between our two countries as well.