The Indonesian Consulate in India is presently working on restoring the direct flight connectivity between Indian cities and Jakarta and on investment promotion efforts to increase the two-way trade.
“There were direct flights between Indian cities and Jakarta. But after the global economic crisis, it vanished. We are now pushing for direct connectivity between 3-4 Indian cities such as Mumbai and Chennai and Jakarta. This will be one of my priority areas during my 3-year stint here,” Saut Siringoringo, Consul General, Consulate General of Republic of Indonesia, Mumbai, told The Hindu.
In 2014, about 2.40 lakh Indian tourists visited Indonesian destinations, and this year, it is expected to be higher. “We will continue our tourism promotion efforts,” he said.
“India and Indonesia have an historical relationship. At no point of time, the relations saw any deterioration due to cold war or any other event. With such strong links, bilateral trade size should have grown bigger. Now I see huge scope and opportunities to increase the trade,” he said adding “Indian Prime Minister Modi and our President have the same vision and both are dynamic and ambitious. We also have similar policies such as Modi’s ‘Make in India’ initiative.’
Indonesia is keen on expanding the collaboration with India in areas such as agricultural products, healthcare and pharma, science and education. Indonesia issues about 500 visas a month to the Indians. “It means a lot of Indian businesses have presence in Indonesia,” Mr. Siringoringo said adding, “Indonesia will remain a potential market for investments. Annually, about 7 million people are moving from poor to middle class due to high economic growth.’’
