Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and US President Barack Obama announced the agreement in a joint statement to the press following their bilateral meeting at the Bali Nusa Dua Convention Center (BNDCC).
Nusa Dua, Bali (ANTARA News) - Indonesia and the United States have agreed on a US$600 million cooperation project under a so-called "Millennium Challenge Corporation Compact" in support of environmentally friendly and sustainable development in the former.

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and US President Barack Obama announced the agreement in a joint statement to the press following their bilateral meeting at the Bali Nusa Dua Convention Center (BNDCC) here on Friday.

"Indonesia is thankful to the US for the Millennium Comprehensive Partnership worth US$600 million to support environmentally friendly development," President Yudhoyono said.

The cooperation was designed to assist Indonesia in developing clean energy, food and public health programs as well as in modernizing goods and service procurement process.

President Yudhoyono said the Indonesia-US relations had been improving since the two nations signed a comprehensive partnership agreement a few years ago.

In the political, legal and security fields both nations had been engaged in various activities such as dialogs, military education and training including the US grant of F-16s to Indonesia, he said.

Both nations also had signed a trade and investment agreement to increase investment and trade ties between the two nations, he said.

President Yudhoyono also expressed Indonesia`s wish to become a US strategic partner in building democratic cooperation which pays respect for human rights.

Meanwhile, President Obama said his visit to Bali for the 6th East Asia Summit was a concrete example of the US focus on the Asia-Pacific region to get better involved in the regional organization.

He shared Yudhoyono`s view that relations between the two countries had been improving since the signing of the comprehensive partnership agreement.

He said the signing of a commercial agreement between Boeing and Lion Air at Grand Hyatt Hotel in Bali earlier in the day was an example of the ever increasingly closer cooperation between the two nations in the economic field.

Under the agreement, Lion Air is planning to buy 200 Boeing planes for at least US$2 billion.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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