Indonesia-Croatia Sign Agreements

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:Indonesia and Croatia signed four agreements covering the issue of no double taxation, cooperation on education and culture, visa-free travel for diplomatic and official passport holders, and cooperation between the respective foreign ministries on the education and training of diplomats. The agreements were signed by representatives of the two countries: Vesna Vijetkovic Kurelec, Croatian Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Makarim Wibisono, the director-general for foreign economic relations, the Foreign Ministry at the Foreign Ministry on Friday (15/2). “I feel happy and honored to sign these agreements,” Kurelec said after the meeting. He went on to say that the agreement on abolishing the double taxation would improve economic cooperation between Croatia and Indonesia. While economic cooperation between the two countries has so far been sluggish, political cooperation have been going on well. Economic cooperation between the two countries would be focused on cooperation between entrepreneurs and between chambers of commerce. “I hope the Croatian business community will invest in Indonesia,” Kurelec said. Wibisono explained that Croatia has great potential to support technological development in Indonesia. “Croatia has been the center of industry ever since it was part of Yugoslavia,” he said. Croatia has many industries, among them weaponry, aircraft and automobile. Wibisono hoped the eradication of double taxation would make Croatian investors want to invest in Indonesia. Wibisono added, that Croatia was a developed country with insufficient natural resources, while Indonesia, on the other hand, is a country rich in natural resources, but undeveloped technology. “This could be a good match if managed properly,” he said. Currently, Croatia is importing wood, furniture, and oil from Indonesia, with the prospect of increasing the volume in the near future. During the five-day visit to Indonesia, from February 13 to 17, Croatian President Stephen Mesic is accompanied by a number of ministers, including Minister of Tourism Ave Jupin Ruskovic, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Vesna Vijetkovic Kurelec, Adviser of Foreign Affairs Tomislav Jekic, Adviser of Science and Education Esad Krohic, Adviser of Economic Affairs Dubravko Radosevic, and Assistant Adviser of Foreign Policy Anica Djamic. (Faisal Assegaf - Tempo News Room)