RI, Estonia set to raise ties to 'new level'

JAKARTA. Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet and his Indonesian counterpart Marty Natalegawa met in Jakarta on Tuesday, and are set to raise bilateral relations between the two countries to "a new level".

Paet has brought along with him an Estonian business delegation, as talks on expanding trade and investment partnerships between Indonesia and Estonia are high on the agenda of his four-day visit to Jakarta.

This is the first official visit made by an Estonian top envoy to Indonesia since the countries opened mutual diplomatic relations in 1993.

Marty said Paet's visit was a follow-up to their meetings on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session in New York in September last year, during which they declared a commitment to enhancing their countries' bilateral relations.

Paet is bringing with him Estonian business representatives from the sectors of logistics, infrastructure, maritime security, border management and health care, among others.

He said he had also been scheduled to meet with Indonesian

Communications and Information Minister Tifatul Sembiring, Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro and Health Minister Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih.

"There is still a lot of untapped potential in the relations between Indonesia and Estonia," Paet said in a joint press conference with Marty.

The Estonian foreign minister arrived in Jakarta on Monday and is scheduled to leave Indonesia on Thursday. (Erwida Maulia/ The Jakarta Post)