RI, France sign trade pact, up defense ties

JAKARTA. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and visiting France Prime Minister François Fillon cemented the two countries’ strategic partnership on Friday, vowing to double trade volume in the next five years and increase ties on defense affairs.

The two country leaders also signed memorandums of understanding on education, energy and mineral resources, tourism, transportation and aviation.

Both leaders also agreed to enhance cooperation on defense, terrorism and climate change issues, as well as the development of low carbon energy sources, such as geothermal and wind energy.

In a joint conference, Fillon said that within the next five years the two countries would double the trade volume from the current level of US$3.5 billion.

“We have a target, which is very concrete, to double it [trade between Indonesian and France],” said Fillon, who has visited Indonesia three times, but this being his first time as prime minister.

He explained that bilateral trade between Indonesia and France stood at ¤2.4 billion ($3.5 billion) in 2010.

The prime minister promised that French companies would pay attention to environmental aspects when investing in Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s largest economy.

President Yudhoyono hailed Fillon’s visit, saying it was “the right timing”, as France is currently chairing the G20 — of which Indonesia is a member — while Indonesia leads ASEAN this year.

Yudhoyono expressed optimism that bilateral trade could be increased because the economies of both nations were now expanding. “The economies of Indonesia and France keep growing, therefore I am sure we can increase [trade],” he said.

France is the 13th largest investor in Indonesia, investing some $2.5 billion over the past 10 years.

“In terms of defense, we will cooperate on exchange visits of senior military officers. We will cooperate to produce military equipment, mainly made by Indonesia,” said Yudhoyono, who made a state visit to France in December 2009.

Aside from bilateral issues, the two leaders also discussed international affairs; from cooperation between ASEAN and the European Union, the ongoing crisis in Middle Eastern countries, including Libya, and the peace process in Palestine.

Fillon, a former advisor to France President Nicolas Sarkozy, said he intended to learn from Indonesia by its experiences securing the Malacca Strait from terrorism and acts of piracy.

“We could implement this in sea lanes located in other parts of the world, as it is crucial to support economic growth,” he said.

Before leaving for Cambodia on Saturday, during his stay in Indonesia Fillon also gave a public lecture at the University of Indonesia in Depok, south of Jakarta, on Friday.

During the public lecture, Fillon said he admired Indonesia’s diverse cultures.

“Indonesia’s ancestors passed down many beautiful monuments, such as Borobudur and Prambanan [temples]. [They are] structures that are part of this nation’s civilization,” he said.

Fillon suggested the heritage should be preserved in a way that was friendly to the environment and biodiversity.

“Indonesia’s diverse cultural heritage successfully attracts foreign tourists, and 150 French people are among them,” he added.

He said the diverse cultures of Indonesia, with its slogan Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (Unity in Diversity), should not be allowed to expire, reminding that France has always safeguarded its unity with “Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité”.

Fillon was accompanied during his visit by, among others, Frédéric Mitterrand, Minister of Culture and Communication; Thierry Mariani, Minister attached to the Minister of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Housing, Responsible for Transport and Pierre Lellouche, Minister of State, attached to Minister of Economy, Finance and Industry, responsible for foreign trade. (Adianto P. Simamora/The Jakarta Post)