Indonesian President: Trade Turnover between Russia and Indonesia Is Currently Lower than Potential Level

The current level of trade between Russia and Indonesia does not reflect the true potential of bilateral trade relations. As a Rosbalt correspondent reports, this announcement was made by President of Indonesia Megawati Sukarnoputri, who attended a Russian-Indonesian forum in Moscow today. She said that the trade turnover between the two countries is currently about USD 200 million a year. She added that one of the aims of her visit to Russia is to activate trade relations between Russia and Indonesia. 'I believe it would be in the interests of both countries to increase the current level of cooperation,' she emphasised. In developing trade relations we 'should not limit ourselves to traditional markets such as the delivery of Indian rubber,' Ms Sukarnoputri said. She added that Russia and Indonesia could collaborate successfully in the fish industry as well as in the spheres of high technology and energy.

On the other hand, the Indonesian president said that 'there are certain obstacles in our way' despite the large trading potential of both countries. One of these is the distance between the two countries and she insisted that the transportation system must be improved. She pointed out that a declaration of cooperation between Russia and Indonesia in the 21st century was signed in the Kremlin yesterday. 'The Russian president and I agreed to do everything possible to raise the level of cooperation, especially in the area of trade, science and military technology. The only question now is how we use this declaration,' she said.