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resident Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Thursday honored South Korean President Lee Myung-bak with the Adipurna award for making a significant contribution to improving bilateral cooperation.

The award was given on the sidelines of the fifth annual Bali Democracy Forum co-chaired by the two presidents along with Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard in Nusa Dua.

Yudhoyono hailed his counterpart as a “figure who encouraged strategic partnership between the two countries”, saying that the award reflected Indonesia’s commitment to bringing the cooperation to
a higher level.

“During the tenure of President Lee Myung-bak, Indonesia and Korea have been very strategic partners,” Yudhoyono said. “His contribution started back in the 1970s when he was involved in the Jagorawi toll road construction project [connecting Jakarta and its satellite cities].”

From 2008 to 2012, the two countries have signed at least 25 bilateral cooperation agreements in various fields, including economics, education, employment, energy, research and technology, forestry, agriculture and defense.

“In the economic field, our two-way trade value has increased dramatically from US$11 billion in 2007 to $30 billion in 2011,” Yudhoyono said, adding that he was confident the two countries would be able to reach the target of $50 billion in 2015 and $100 billion in 2020.

Yudhoyono said he welcomed the beginning of bilateral talks under the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement scheme in July this year. Indonesia and South Korea have launched official negotiations to create a comprehensive economic partnership. Both countries agreed on plans to speed up negotiations to forge the envisioned deal as early as possible.

On investment, the total value of Korean investment in Indonesia reached $5.7 billion as of 2011. Indonesia is the biggest Southeast Asian buyer for Korea’s defense industry. Last year, the country awarded two massive contracts to Korea, one of them to purchase submarines and the other to purchase T-50 Golden Eagle supersonic trainer jets.

Yudhoyono said he appreciated Lee’s commitment to protecting some 27,000 Indonesian migrant workers in Korea. He said Lee had proven his commitment to protecting Indonesian workers in South Korea under the Employment Permit System, a government-to-government worker-placement system, in which Indonesian workers have equal rights with local workers.

“Even during the global economic crisis that affected Korea in 2008, none of Indonesian workers were sent home,” Yudhoyono said.

Lee thanked the Indonesian government for the award and hailed Yudhoyono as one of the leaders with whom he had the closest relationship.

“I am very honored with this award. I hope that Indonesia and Korea can further develop our democracy and partnership despite any challenges we might face,” he said, praising the bilateral relationship as a “heartfelt relationship” that had survived the economic crisis that affected the two countries.

He also asked Indonesia to build cooperation in addressing climate change issues.

Before the award ceremony, the two leaders witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on environmentally friendly cars between Indonesian Coordinating Minister for the Economy Hatta Rajasa and the Korean Minister for Science and Economy. Following the bilateral talks with South Korea, Yudhoyono held a meeting with Thailand’s Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.