"I made a courtesy call to Vice President Jusuf Kalla to express our interest to increase bilateral cooperation in the political, economic, and cultural sectors, among others," Portugal Ambassador to Indonesia Rui Fernando Sucena do Carmo stated here on Wednesday.
Carmo met Kalla at the Vice Presidents office in Jakarta on Wednesday morning.
According to Deputy Secretary for Policy Affairs to the Vice President Dewi Fortuna Anwar, Carmo met Kalla to boost political diplomacy and maintain cultural relations.
Anwar pointed out that Indonesia and Portugal have a long-standing history of sound relations.
Several Indonesian presidents had visited the country located in Western Europe, such as Soekarno in 1960 and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in 2014.
The president of Portugal had also visited Indonesia in 2012 to increase relations and cooperation.
Both countries could develop potential opportunities in the investment and trade sectors, Anwar remarked.
The Investment Coordinating Board noted that Portugal had invested US$500 thousand in a project in 2015.
Additionally, the total trade value between Indonesia and Portugal in October 2016 reached $159.85 million. The value decreased as compared to $187.56 million recorded in 2015.
Some 25,100 Portuguese visited Indonesia in 2015, while 176 Indonesians visited Portugal.
"Hence, they expressed hope that Indonesian businessmen would also invest in Portugal," Anwar pointed out.
Diplomatic relations between both countries were restored on December 28, 1999, after the Timor Leste issue was resolved.
Currently, both countries are intensifying relations and supporting each other at the global level, particularly in the European Union.
"Both countries should take further steps, particularly for increasing economic relations," Anwar added.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2017
