SBY to visit UK in October

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has accepted an invitation from Queen Elizabeth II to visit the United Kingdom from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2, the British Embassy announced in Jakarta on Tuesday.

The invitation had been delivered by British Prime Minister David Cameron during his visit to Jakarta in April. Yudhoyono, he said, was invited to attend the Diamond Jubilee, marking the 60th year of the queen’s reign.

The visit will be Indonesia’s first state visit to the country since 1979.

“It is another milestone that firmly signals our deepening bilateral engagement and joint commitment to increase cooperation across trade and investment, education, climate change and global foreign policy issues,” the embassy stated in a press release.

During the visit, Yudhoyono and First Lady Ani Yudhoyono will stay at Buckingham Palace.

“We anticipate the President will be accompanied by ministerial and business delegations,” the release read. (The Jakarta Post)