"The signing of the cooperation is a concrete business-to-business implementation of Indonesia-US Comprehensive Partnership," the Indonesian Embassy in Washington DC said in a press release.
The cooperation aims to improve Indonesian railway locomotives for the next 40 years, developing Indonesian transportation infrastructure, and providing maintenance and technology transfers in the field of rail transport in Indonesia.
Indonesia needs land mass-transportation to carry 600 million passengers and 70 million tons of goods annually in the next five years, to help support national economic growth and create new jobs for Indonesians, according to officials.
The cooperation between PT KAI and GE Transportation is made possible with the financial support of two major national banks, Bank BNI and BRI.
The signing ceremony was witnessed by the Charge d'Affaires of the Indonesian Embassy in Washington, Benyamin Carnadi, and officials from the Embassy.
Also present at the event were senior US Governments officials, including US Undersecretary of State for Economic, Business and Agricultural Affairs Robert D. Hormats, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Market Access and Compliance Michael C. Camu'ez, and US Assistant Transportation Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs Susan Kurland.
Benyamin said this cooperation is a new landmark in Indonesia-US cooperation in infrastructure and transportation sectors, following the Lion Air and Boeing agreements, in which the signing was witnessed by US President Barack Obama in Bali, November 2011.
Meanwhile, Undersecretary of State Robert Hormats welcomed the cooperation between PT KAI and GE Transportation, saying it would provide long-term mutual benefit for both countries. Assistant Secretary for Commerce Michael Camu'ez stated that the signing of the agreement is encouraging and expected it to be a catalyst for promoting more cooperation between Indonesian and US private sectors.(*)
Editor: Ruslan Burhani
Copyright © ANTARA 2012
