Antigua and Barbuda Establishes Ties With Indonesia

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Monday, 26 September 2011 02:29

By caribarena news

Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Baldwin Spencer has signed an agreement with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia Dr RM Marty M Natalegawa, establishing diplomatic relations between the two countries.

The signing ceremony, at UN Headquarters, was attended by Antigua & Barbuda’s delegation to the general debate segment of the UN General Assembly, including Senator Dr Edmond Mansoor and Ambassador David Shoul, and parliamentary representatives from Indonesia, in keeping with the legal requirements of that country.

“I am pleased that we are able to complete this internationally recognized act of establishing diplomatic relations between our two countries. And while it is true that Antigua & Barbuda and Indonesia - both past chairs of the Group of 77 and China – have co-operated together at the multilateral level, we can now begin a new phase between our two countries: enhanced bilateral cooperation,” PM Spencer said.

Dr Natalegawa thanked Spencer for Antigua & Barbuda’s positive response to Indonesia’s request to establish diplomatic relations, and for so doing at the highest political level.   

He said, “Our two countries, long recognised as champions of the priorities of developing countries through our individual past chairmanship of the Group of 77 and China, can begin the next natural step by becoming true bilateral partners. Indonesia stands ready to assist Antigua & Barbuda in meeting its development priorities and will do its utmost to become a true bilateral partner."

The two foreign ministers instructed their respective delegations to immediately begin to develop a road map, which they would oversee, for bilateral co-operation between the two countries, with specific targets and timetables and tangible outcomes. These include bilateral co-operation in education, trade, tourism, ICT, and investment. They also extended an official invitation to visit their respective countries.

Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim country with a population of more that 240 million people, consists of more than 17,500 islands, of which 6,000 are inhabited; 1,000 are permanently settled. The official language is Indonesian, but there are several local languages of which the most prevalent is Javanese.

The country’s annual GDP is estimated at US $823 billion for 2011 and its per capita income is US $4,394. Indonesia is rich in natural resources, including oil and gas, bauxite, silver, tin, copper, gold, coal and its agricultural products include timber, rubber, rice, palm oil and coffee.

Prime Minister Spencer also attended the Fourteenth Informal Consultations of the Council for Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR), during which Chairman of the Bureau of Council for National Security and Law Enforcement (CONSLE) Dr Errol Cort presented a report on financial impropriety at the Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS).  

The meeting was also addressed by representatives of the Nordic countries, which resulted in Antigua & Barbuda receiving regular visits of a Finish cruise liner beginning in January 2012.  Prime Minister Spencer also said discussions were held on deepening co-operation in the area of renewable energy. The Nordic countries have assisted Antigua & Barbuda in the past in environmental matters through the Environmental Awareness Group (EAG).

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Prime Minister Spencer also met briefly on Friday with new Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, and congratulated him on his appointment, while expressing Antigua & Barbuda’s desire to maintain good relations.

The country’s leader also held discussions with Foreign Minister of Australia Kevin Rudd on the margins of the Commonwealth Foreign Ministers meeting which looked at, among other things, the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Australia.

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