Indonesia speeds up partnership with Japan
Asia Times, Hong Kong
Indonesia speeds up partnership with Japan
24 June 2006
JAKARTA - Indonesia’s President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has called for the speeding up of ongoing negotiations on the proposed Indonesia-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) so that it can be signed this year, a spokesman said.
"The president hopes that the EPA negotiations can be concluded by the end of this year," presidential spokesman Dino Pati Djalal told the press following a meeting between Yudhoyono and Yasuo Fukuda, a senior Japanese legislator.
The Indonesia-Japan EPA is very important to intensify bilateral economic relations between the two countries, Dino explained.
Yasuo Fukuda, a candidate for the Japanese prime minister`s post, is currently chairman of the Japan-Indonesia Association (Japindo).
Fukuda expressed his appreciation to the Indonesian government for its efforts to improve the country’s investment climate.
The Indonesian government is currently amending the law on investment - a process expected to be completed in the near future.
(ANTARA/Asia Pulse)