"Indonesia and Greece had many similarities."
London (ANTARA News) - The ongoing economic crisis in Greece did not deter the country`s entrepreneurs and prospective investors from participating in an investment seminar held by the Indonesian embassy in the city of Thessaloniki on Thursday.

"Investment Opportunity in Indonesia" was a joint collaboration between the Indonesian embassy in Athens, Indonesia`s Investment coordinating board (BKPM), and Thessaloniki`s Chamber of Commerce Industry (TCCI).

"The event was held at the conference hall of the TCCI building," the first secretary of Indonesia`s embassy in Athens, Jani Mediawati Sasanti, told ANTARA London on Thursday.

The seminar was held three days prior to the Greek general election that would determine whether the country would continue to be a part of eurozone. As many as 75 entrepreneurs from Thessaloniki, the second biggest city in Greece, were seen interacting with the speakers.

An Indonesian honorary councilman in Thessaloniki, a Greek businessman who has long been doing business in Indonesia, spoke about his success story before a panel of BKPM delegates.

The investment seminar was held in two languages - Greek and English - and was opened by the vice chairman of TCII, Emmanual Vlachogiannis.

He said Indonesia and Greece had many similarities, adding both were "archipelago countries" and had faced economic crises.

Greece is now in the middle of an economic crisis in the financial sector, while Indonesia has successfully come out of the economic crisis that hit Asia in 1997.

"With such similarities, there is an opportunity for both countries to work together, especially in the economic and trade sectors. Indonesia`s success in dealing with the economic crisis has also been viewed by the Greeks as something that needs to be learned and implemented," Vlachogiannis said.

Representing the Indonesian embassy, the acting interim for the Indonesian embassy in Athens, Abdul Fatah Zainal, expressed his appreciation to the TCII and the attending entrepreneurs for their cooperation despite the adverse economic and political conditions in Greece.

The purpose of BKPM delegates` visit, apart from speaking at the Indonesian tourism promotional seminar, was to hold talks with the ministry of tourism and culture, the Athens Port Authority, and the cruise ship company, Louis Cruise, in Athens.

The Indonesian honorary consul for Thessaloniki, Dimitris Ramaglou, spoke about Indonesia`s many achievements, including in the economic sector, in becoming a member of G-20, and in earning the "investment grade" from Moody`s, an international credit rating organization.

Then there was a discussion about Indonesia`s investment climate programme, followed by a brief elaboration on partnership between the government and private companies in the infrastructure sector.

One of the focus areas in infrastructure development is in the tourism sector, concerning the development of a cruise ship harbour in Tanah Ampo, Bali. Since the cruise ship harbours in Greece are well-developed, Indonesia seeks to benefit from the Greeks` experience.

The seminar ended with a cocktail party featuring several Greek and Indonesian food delicacies, including Mie Goreng and Lumpia (ordered from an Indonesian restaurant in Thessaloniki called Matahari). The participants expressed their satisfaction with the event, which provided a lot of information about investment opportunities in Indonesia.
(Uu.AH/INE/KR-BSR/B003)

Editor: Priyambodo RH
Copyright © ANTARA 2012