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Indonesia seeks 'partnership'
Indonesian ambassador in Dhaka seeks ‘partnership’ with Bangladesh, rather than ‘traditional trade’ ties.
Iwan Wiranata-Atmadja said on Tuesday that trade was “very limited” between the two countries and hardly possible because both countries produce similar kind of goods.
"We have to think beyond the box,” he said delivering a lecture at BIISS auditorium in Dhaka.
The world largest Muslim country was one of the first countries that recognised war ravaged Bangladesh in Feb 1972.
Three months later Indonesia opened its embassy in Dhaka.
It is the 16th largest economy in the world with its GDP at more than $ 878 billion in 2012.
It is also a leading spirit behind the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and played a crucial role in developing “a code of conduct” involving countries who have claims in South China Sea to diffuse tensions among global powers.
But its engagement with Bangladesh did not progress much, after signing eight agreements between 2004 and 2005, one of which was about launching direct flights.
Currently Bangladeshis have to travel via Malaysia or Singapore to its islands for tourism.
The envoy said both Bangladesh and Indonesia’s geographical and cultural proximity made “constructive relationship indispensable”.
He said the direct flight could not be launched since the airliner that his government selected went bankrupt.
A new airline has been tagged with Bangladesh Biman and he hoped for ‘progress’ by year end.
Visa regime had been made easy now. The envoy said that direct flights could increase flow of tourists from Bangladesh to Indonesia.
In 2012, the archipelago attracted eight million tourists and earned $1,130 from each of them.
Former diplomat Nasim Ferdous who served in Jakarta between 2002 and 2006 said cooperation in railway locomotives, SME sector, and tourism were some of the other areas of engagement in the eight agreements signed during her term.
She said Indonesia can help with locomotives since they produce them but a railway system is not viable in an island nation.
She said there had been efforts for partnership in tourism during her time but it did not progress further.
“…perhaps we can create partnership between cities in Indonesia and Bangladesh with similar traditions for the sake of tourism,” she said.
The Indonesian envoy said SMEs could be an area of cooperation, as they account for 25 percent of Bangladesh’s GDP, 80 percent of industrial jobs and engage 25 percent of the total labour force.
He said sharing of SME experiences between the two governments would be beneficial to both.
He also suggested fostering connectivity of Chittagong and Mongla ports with Batam, Tanjung Priok, Tanjung Perak and other Indonesian ports to boost economic exchange as well as support the shipping companies and shipbuilding industries of the two countries.
He also looked forward to military-to-military cooperation particularly cooperation in existing peacekeeping training facilities as both the countries were large contributors to the UN peacekeeping missions.
Indonesia produces many of its own weapons including armoured personnel vehicles, assault rifles and aircraft that the envoy claimed were of “international standards”.
He suggested cooperation “in combat terrorism and other forms of international crimes”.
“Bangladesh and Indonesia have large Muslim population and share common views on many issues of regional and international interests,” the envoy said.
Bangladesh could be a “promising partner” for Indonesia in years to come, he believed.
source: Indonesia seeks 'partnership' -
bdnews24.com
Indonesian ambassador in Dhaka seeks ‘partnership’ with Bangladesh, rather than ‘traditional trade’ ties.
Iwan Wiranata-Atmadja said on Tuesday that trade was “very limited” between the two countries and hardly possible because both countries produce similar kind of goods.
"We have to think beyond the box,” he said delivering a lecture at BIISS auditorium in Dhaka.
The world largest Muslim country was one of the first countries that recognised war ravaged Bangladesh in Feb 1972.
Three months later Indonesia opened its embassy in Dhaka.
It is the 16th largest economy in the world with its GDP at more than $ 878 billion in 2012.
It is also a leading spirit behind the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and played a crucial role in developing “a code of conduct” involving countries who have claims in South China Sea to diffuse tensions among global powers.
But its engagement with Bangladesh did not progress much, after signing eight agreements between 2004 and 2005, one of which was about launching direct flights.
Currently Bangladeshis have to travel via Malaysia or Singapore to its islands for tourism.
The envoy said both Bangladesh and Indonesia’s geographical and cultural proximity made “constructive relationship indispensable”.
He said the direct flight could not be launched since the airliner that his government selected went bankrupt.
A new airline has been tagged with Bangladesh Biman and he hoped for ‘progress’ by year end.
Visa regime had been made easy now. The envoy said that direct flights could increase flow of tourists from Bangladesh to Indonesia.
In 2012, the archipelago attracted eight million tourists and earned $1,130 from each of them.
Former diplomat Nasim Ferdous who served in Jakarta between 2002 and 2006 said cooperation in railway locomotives, SME sector, and tourism were some of the other areas of engagement in the eight agreements signed during her term.
She said Indonesia can help with locomotives since they produce them but a railway system is not viable in an island nation.
She said there had been efforts for partnership in tourism during her time but it did not progress further.
“…perhaps we can create partnership between cities in Indonesia and Bangladesh with similar traditions for the sake of tourism,” she said.
The Indonesian envoy said SMEs could be an area of cooperation, as they account for 25 percent of Bangladesh’s GDP, 80 percent of industrial jobs and engage 25 percent of the total labour force.
He said sharing of SME experiences between the two governments would be beneficial to both.
He also suggested fostering connectivity of Chittagong and Mongla ports with Batam, Tanjung Priok, Tanjung Perak and other Indonesian ports to boost economic exchange as well as support the shipping companies and shipbuilding industries of the two countries.
He also looked forward to military-to-military cooperation particularly cooperation in existing peacekeeping training facilities as both the countries were large contributors to the UN peacekeeping missions.
Indonesia produces many of its own weapons including armoured personnel vehicles, assault rifles and aircraft that the envoy claimed were of “international standards”.
He suggested cooperation “in combat terrorism and other forms of international crimes”.
“Bangladesh and Indonesia have large Muslim population and share common views on many issues of regional and international interests,” the envoy said.
Bangladesh could be a “promising partner” for Indonesia in years to come, he believed.
source: Indonesia seeks 'partnership' -
bdnews24.com
