The two leaders issued a statement at a joint press conference following a meeting between the delegations of both countries at Merdeka Palace.
Prime Minister Rutte is in Indonesia for a state visit at the invitation of President Yudhoyono. This is the first time he is visiting Indonesia as prime minister.
Rutte said his meeting with the Indonesian President is a historic milestone for improving relations between the two nations.
He said Indonesia has been, is and will always be an important country for the Netherlands.
President Yudhoyono, at the press event, agreed that the Dutch PMs visit is historic and welcomed the opportunity to develop stronger ties with The Netherlands.
Both leaders marked the occasion by launching a comprehensive partnership for the future.
"This is a historic visit, the first by Mark Rutte in his capacity as prime minister, and is an important milestone in the relations between the two countries because we have agreed to further increase our friendship, cooperation and bilateral partnership in the future," President Yudhoyono said.
Opportunities for cooperation exist in trade and investment, water treatment, flood control, infrastructure development, logistics, agriculture and education.
"Other areas include tourism, the health sector, defense, especially defense industry, energy, science and technology, and tripartite cooperation between Indonesia, the Netherlands and other countries," he added.
The two heads of government also attended the signing of two memoranda of understanding (MoU). The first MoU, related to tripartite cooperation, was signed by Indonesian foreign minister Marty Natalegawa and Dutch minister of foreign trade and development cooperation Liliane Ploumen.
The second MOU, related to cooperation in the fisheries sector, was signed by Indonesian minister of marine resources and fisheries Sharif Cicip Sutardjo and Dutch minister of agriculture Sharon Dijksma.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2013
