Hamid Ansari heads to Indonesia and Brunei

Vice President M Hamid Ansari on Sunday said that while India’s bilateral trade and commercial ties with Indonesia were progressing along expected lines, there was a need to correct the low level of Indonesian investment in India.

India’s investments in Indonesia have also been increasing, and India is also an important buyer of Indonesian palm oil and coal, he said. On the subject of skill development, he said that India is offering a large number of scholarships to both students and trainees.

He was received by Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, the Governor of Jakarta, and A.M. Fasheer, the Vice Foreign Minister.

To a question on security cooperation with Indonesia, Ansari said that India has cooperation at the level of defence ministries and between their armed forces, as well as on internal security.

Describing Indonesia as a maritime neighbour and a key strategic partner for India in the ASEAN region, Ansari said engagement with this plural, multi-cultural and multi-ethnic society, which was also very rich in resources, has been positive and forward looking, but cautioned that this relationship with Jakarta or for that matter with Brunei should not be taken for granted.

“Successive leaderships of both countries have cultivated this relationship over time and the present visit is also part of that process”, he said. In the afternoon, he is expected to call on the President of Indonesia, Mr. Joko Widodo.

Thereafter, Ansari will visit the Parliament of Indonesia for meetings with the speakers of the two houses.

During his interaction with reporters, Ansari said India will exchange notes with Indonesia to complete formalities for the extradition pact signed in 2011.

An MoU will also be signed for establishment of an ayurveda chair at the Faculty of Medicine at Sudirman Campus in Denpasar in Bali.

“We develop our own relations at our own momentum”, he said, adding that the world of 21st century will work on commonality of interests.

On the economic side, he said India imports nearly $1 billion worth of crude oil, and that there was a large Indian community in Brunei which was making its contribution in the fields of medicine, education and business.