T

his week, Indonesian State-Owned Enterprises Minister Rini Soemarno visits the Nordic countries, accompanied by a large delegation of state-owned enterprises.

The purpose of the visit is to explore how Indonesia and the Nordic countries can expand their partnership across an array of sectors.

We are proud to welcome the delegation as a concrete sign of the deepening partnership between Indonesia and the four Nordic countries of Finland, Norway, Sweden and Denmark. Individually we might be small in population in comparison to Indonesia, the world’s fourth largest country, but our economies put together would be the world’s 11th largest economy.

Although 11,000 kilometers separates Jakarta from Helsinki, Stockholm, Oslo and Copenhagen, we strongly believe that a boosted partnership with the Nordic region offers immense potential for a giant like Indonesia.

Why? Because the Nordic countries can be an honest partner in finding innovative and sustainable solutions to the challenges Indonesia is facing.

Like Indonesia, we too are nations grown out of an agricultural tradition with a history shaped by our proximity to the sea. We also share a similar desire to ensure economic growth, job creation and rapid improvement of ordinary people’s lives.

As a region, the Nordics have many shared values. As small and open economies, we strive to promote free trade, transparency and democratic governance.

We aim to increase openness and efficiency in our public administrations, and implement state-of-the-art e-governance systems and technology to streamline and optimize business regulations and procedures while ensuring easy and direct interactions between citizens and public officials.

The Nordic countries are perhaps best known for our welfare systems, providing universal healthcare and quality education to ensure equal opportunities for all, no matter background or income. In international rankings of ease-of-doing-business, productivity as well as innovation and inequality, the Nordics are continuously gathered near the top. We stand ready to share all our experience if this could be helpful to Indonesia.

Indonesia and the Nordic countries also have long-running engagements. We have ongoing development cooperation, government-to-government cooperation, as well as strong political and commercial ties.

However, let’s be honest: Despite the multifaceted presence our relationship is not yet where we want it to be. We want to bring our countries even closer together. We have one — and only one — agenda: to boost our political and commercial cooperation as well as strengthening our people-to-people relationships.

During her visit to the Nordic countries, Minister Rini will meet key ministers as well as high-level representatives from the private sector.

Focus will be on strengthening relations within a number of priorities sectors: 1) clean tech and energy, 2) maritime, 3) infrastructure and communication technology, 4) defense and 5) healthcare. These areas have been carefully chosen, as a closer partnership offers creative and innovative solutions within these sectors which align perfectly with Indonesia’s political priorities and demands.

Minister Rini’s visit will facilitate business opportunities as well as more and better investments into Indonesia. In sum, creating an even stronger Nordic-Indonesian connection to the benefit of both sides.
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Päivi Hiltunen-Toivio is Finnish ambassador, Johanna Brismar Skoog is Swedish ambassador, Stig Traavik is Norwegian ambassador and Casper Klynge is Danish ambassador to Indonesia.