Faizasyah said Japan`s commitment to increasing cooperation with Indonesia was made at a meeting between President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda`s special representative Katsuya Okada in Nuda Dua on Thursday.
At the meeting with President Yudhoyono, Katsuya Okada extended a letter from Noda to the president.
"Under the new government of Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, Japan wants to establish long term and stronger relations and cooperation with Indonesia," Faizasyah said.
At the 30-minute meeting, President Yudhoyono appreciated the presence of a Japanese delegation at the Bali Democracy Forum and said that Indonesia and Japan enjoyed very good relations.
"Thank you for your presence at the Bali Democracy Forum. I remember when I went to Japan, your country wanted to improve cooperation with Indonesia," the president said.
President Yudhoyono also said his good relations with Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda could encourage the improvement of the two countries` ties.
After the Bali Democracy Forum concluded on Thursday evening, President Yudhoyono held bilateral talks with a number of foreign leaders.
Received by Yudhoyono at the Bali International Convention Center were among others Timor Leste Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad Bin Jabr Al-Thani, Mongolian Prime Minister Sukhbataar Batbold, Sri Lankan President Mahindra Rajapaksa, and Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc.
When receiving the Turkish Deputy Prime Minister, President Yudhoyono said under the cooperation agreement Indonesia and Turkey had concluded in the past, the volume of trade between the two countries could possibly be increased by up to 45 percent.
"Our relations are good. Let us continue them. After the Turkish president signed a cooperation agreement with us we have seen increasing relations. We have seen opportunities to increase our bilateral trade by up to 45 percent and we must take them," he said.
President Yudhoyono also invited Turkey to jointly encourage the two countries` private sectors to forge cooperation in the field of trade.(*)
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Editor: Jafar M Sidik
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
