Special Garuda Indonesia jetliner that carried the president and his entourage from Bandar Seri Begawan International Airport in Brunei Darussalam landed at Halim Perdanakusuma military airbase here at 12.50 pm Western Indonesia Standard Time (WIB).
Arriving at Halim Perdanakusuma airport, President Yudhoyono was greeted by among others Vice President Boediono, Attorney General Basrief Arief, and a number of state officials.
During his working trip to the three ASEAN countries, the Indonesian head of state had a bilateral meeting Singapore`s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in Singapore, his Myanmar`s counterpart Thein Sein in Myanmar, and attended ASEAN Summit in Brunei Darussalam and held a number of meetings with other ASEAN leaders.
Before leaving Bandar Seri Begawan for Jakarta on Friday morning, the president expressed optimism that Indonesia was ready to face the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) in 2015 and emphasized that the country should get benefit from the integration.
"Indonesia must take advantage of this economic integration in ASEAN. We cannot be loser, we must be the winner," said the president.
He said he had instructed Coordinating Minister for the Economy Hatta Radjasa to establish a committee consisting of think tanks, government officials, entrepreneurs and experts from various sectors. The committee members will identify challenges faced by Indonesia and offer solution to it before the initiation of AEC in 2015.
Yudhoyono said through the AEC the region would be made into a single market and a production base, a region with economic competitiveness, economic gaps among members of the association would be narrowed and ASEAN economies would be integrated.
(O001/F001)
Editor: Jafar M Sidik
Copyright © ANTARA 2013
