Indonesia keen to expand trade ties

Indonesian President H Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has expressed the desire to further enhance bilateral ties, especially trade and commerce with Bangladesh for the benefit of the peoples of the two countries.
He said there are potential areas in different fields such as trade, culture and tourism where Indonesia and Bangladesh can work together for improvement of relations.
The president told this when the newly appointed Bangladesh ambassador to Indonesia, Golam Mohammad, presented his credentials to him on July 29 at the State Palace, Merdeka, Jakarta.
Foreign Minister RM Marty M Natalegawa, Minister of State Secretary Sudi Silalahi and Cabinet Secretary Dipo Alam were present on the occasion.
Susilo gave a briefing during the meeting, outlining the reform programmes undertaken by his government.
Golam Mohammad conveyed the greetings from the president and prime minister of Bangladesh to the Indonesian president, who reciprocated.
The ambassador mentioned that the corner stone of the foreign policy of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was his strong commitment towards NAM, which contained similar views as Pancasila, the state ideology of Indonesia.
He also reiterated that the democratically elected governments of both Bangladesh and Indonesia have the same wavelength in terms of anti-corruption drive, monetary reforms, facing the challenges of climate change, education, counter terrorism, woman empowerment and establishing rule of law.
Susilo said he has also embarked on the same programme as Bangladesh in eradicating poverty and ensuring justice at grass root level. He assured the ambassador of continued cooperation during his tenure in Indonesia and wished him success.
Golam Mohammad is a career diplomat. Prior to his new assignment he was Bangladesh ambassador to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and concurrently accredited to Syrian Arab Republic, Republic of Lebanon and the State of Palestine.