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em>Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Greg Moriarty will soon leave Indonesia, as his tenure ends, returning to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Canberra to take up a position as deputy secretary. He shared his impression of the country during his four-year term to The Jakarta Post'€™s Yohanna Ririhena. Here are the excerpts

Question: How would you describe the two nations'€™ relationship?

Answer: I think the Australian Government has already engaged strongly and positively with President Joko Widodo and his administration. Indonesia and Australia share a comprehensive strategic partnership based on common interests. Across government-to-government cooperation alone, there are over 60 areas of bilateral co-operation.

There are also broad ranging people-to-people connections and a growing business and investment partnership. The Australian Embassy in Jakarta is our largest diplomatic mission in the world, indicating the importance Canberra attaches to the relationship with Indonesia.

Trade and investment are critical to our relationship. Indonesia is Australia'€™s 11th largest trading partner, with total trade worth A$16 billion with a trade surplus in Indonesia'€™s favor.

How did you cope with the occasional uneasiness in the Australia-Indonesia relationship?

It'€™s natural for relations between neighbors to face occasional challenges, and Indonesia and Australia are no different. What'€™s important is that our Embassy remains well-connected with people inside the Indonesian government and its institutions as well as in touch with broader Indonesian opinion. One of our key roles is to help our governments navigate challenges and resolve differences in a constructive spirit of mutual respect.

I also think it is important for the public to appreciate that even when there are issues of difference between the two countries, the Embassy continues to undertake a huge amount of work to support our bilateral cooperation in areas where we both benefit because the pursuit of shared interests is the driving force of relations between nations.

Do you think we still do not understand each other?

Outdated perceptions still linger among the public in both countries. There'€™s a lot of work to do to improve mutual understanding between the societies and people of both countries.

One way to do that is for the tens of thousands of Indonesians who'€™ve studied and lived in Australia to talk about the positive experience they'€™ve had. Their experience will add another dimension strengthening the people-to-people relations.

The Australia'€™s New Colombo Plan initiative will bring thousands of Australian university students to Indonesia to study over the coming years. I am optimistic that broadening these education links and other people-to-people connections can break down outdated perceptions.

How has Australia helped Indonesia?

Our trade and investment partnership and security partnership benefit Indonesia. The work we do together to combat transnational crime, human trafficking, people smuggling, our counter-terrorism cooperation and our joint efforts to build a stable region are clearly to Indonesia'€™s benefit as well as being in Australia'€™s interest.

We'€™ve worked with Indonesia to draft the National Ports Master Plan, to support port development and operations. We also support President Widodo'€™s plans to reform the Indonesian tax system.

What are the most challenging issues that should be addressed?

Our economic ties are under-developed. There is considerable potential to expand trade and investment relationship. Australia'€™s trade ties with some other ASEAN countries are stronger than those with Indonesia and that strikes me as something that requires serious examination on both sides.

What did you find remarkable about Indonesia?

The rest of the world doesn'€™t know enough about Indonesia'€™s great diversity. I'€™ve been fortunate to have travelled around this vast archipelago '€” from Sabang to Merauke '€” over the course of two separate postings to Indonesia. I have enjoyed meeting people from all walks of life across this country from remote villages to the cosmopolitan big cities.

During my postings to Indonesia I have also had the privilege to meet Indonesia'€™s past five presidents and past five foreign ministers. I have so many wonderful memories of the transformative political events that I have witnessed since I first came to Indonesia in early 1999.

What will you miss the most about Indonesia?

I won'€™t forget the sense of optimism about the future among Indonesia'€™s young people. They represent a new generation with aspirations for stronger governance and greater economic opportunities.

I will miss the Embassy. Hundreds of people come in each day to do a huge amount of work promoting the interests of Australia and working to build practical, mutually beneficial cooperation between our two countries. Most of this goes on behind the scenes, away from the media spotlight. In fact, I estimate that around 90 per cent of the work of the Embassy never makes the news. I will personally miss great Padang and Manado food, although luckily for me there are now a number of good Indonesian restaurants in Australia.

What was an unforgettable moment during your tenure here?

There are too many to mention, and they include the privilege of seeing Indonesia undertake a remarkable and peaceful political transition during the 2014 election. I also went to the island of Morotai and attended the opening by then President (Susilo Bambang) Yudhoyono of the World War II Museum. This had great personal significance for me as my father served on Morotai during the war.