Indonesia, Estonia agree to increase ties on economy, education

Indonesia and Estonia on Tuesday agreed to increase ties on economy and education during talks between Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa and his Estonian counterpart Urmas Paet. In a joint press conference, both parties stressed the importance of economic bilateral relations in sectors of trade, investment and information and communication technology (ICT). To support the cooperation, both sides have been preparing several agreements on economic cooperation, avoidance of double taxation and investment increase and protection. Natalegawa said that business delegation accompanying Paet could take benefit of the visit to dig trade and investment potentials in Indonesia. Paet said that the delegation consisted of businessmen on sectors of logistics, infrastructure, maritime security, border management and healthcare, among others. Natalegawa said that during the last three years, Indonesia and Estonia have been achieving a stable trade volume. "In January-October 2011, both countries recorded trade volume of 30 million U.S. dollars, increasing 54.7 percent compared to the same period of the previous year of 19.27 million dollars. Indonesia gained surpluses of 25 million dollars." said Natalegawa. Both countries are also exploring agreement between universities to enhance cooperation in educational sector.