The Jakarta Globe, Camelia Pasandaran
A top United States diplomat on Friday met Indonesian Vice President Boediono to discuss possibilities to extend the bilateral cooperation between the two countries.
William Burns, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs and the highest ranked foreign service officer for the United States, said that besides being an observer at the Bali Democracy Forum, he was looking to develop several areas of cooperation on issues important to both nations.
“I think there is enormous opportunity for both Indonesians and Americans as we look ahead to the next five years,” Burns said, “whether its on economic cooperation, or extending cooperation in education and health, or working together on a wide range of regional and global issues, whether it is climate change, preventing the spread of nuclear weapons, promoting peace and solving regional conflict.”
Burns said that Indonesia has a very encouraging economic future and he looks forward to expanding trade and investment between the two countries.
“With Indonesia’s economy, which has grown and continues to grow, I think there is increasing opportunity for foreign investment, particularly for American investment here,” he said.
“Many American companies are quite interested in the potential of the Indonesian economy.”
Burns said that as Indonesia continued to introduce reforms to improve its investment climate and legal system, foreign investors would pay close attention.
He added that he was supportive of the Indonesian government’s fight against corruption.
“Corruption is a challenge that is not unique to Indonesia,” he said. “We certainly support the effort of the government to fight corruption as it often functions as an attack, especially on small businesses.”
Burns said that President Obama expects to visit Indonesia next year with his family to seek improved bilateral cooperation.
JG
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