REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, LONDON - Indonesian President Susilo Bambang YUdhoyono (SBY) and the first lady Ani Yudhoyono with their entourage arrived in London, UK. The plane landed on Heathrow International Airport in London on Tuesday at 18.00 local time or 40 minutes earlier than schedule, as reported by Esthi Maharani from Republika.
The Viscount Brookeborough, Lord-in-Waiting representing the Queen welcomed the entourage. Warm welcome also came from Nicholas Jarrold from Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Eleanor MacSwan from Heathrow International Airport, and Indonesian ambassador, TM Hamzah Thayeb.
Business in numbers
According to official website of Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), SBY's visit comes in the context of the increasing global political and economic significance of Indonesia, and of Indonesia’s relations with the UK. Indonesia has the 4th largest population in the world, and has transformed dramatically over the past 15 years to become the world’s largest Muslim democracy. It is currently the 18th largest economy in the world projected to be one of the top 10 economies in 2020 and possibly in the top 7 by 2030.
Total trade with UK in 2011 was 2.4 billion pounds (up 10 percent year on year). In 2011 exports of goods and services to Indonesia were worth 0.97 billion pounds, an increase of 28 percent, whilst UK imports from Indonesia increased 0.6 percent to 1.4 billion pounds.
Leading British investors include Jardines, BP, Premier Oil, Shell, Unilever, HSBC, Standard Chartered Bank, Prudential, GlaxoSmithKline, and Astra Zeneca. In April 2012 the Prime Minister and President Yudhoyono announced a commitment to double trade (goods & services) by 2015 to 4.4 billion pounds. The President is accompanied on this visit by a large business delegation.
As well as spending time with the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, the President will meet other members of the Royal Family, including the Prince of his Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall. He will meet the Prime Minister David Cameron, and separately, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, and the leader of the opposition Ed Miliband.
The visit also coincides with the second meeting of the UN High Level Panel on Post 2015 development, which the Prime Minister, SBY, and Liberian President Sirleaf are co-chairs. Other highlights will be the President giving the Wilton Park annual address on “Indonesia’s role as a regional and global actor” and a lecture at the Royal College of Defence Studies in his capacity as the only Head of State to have served as a UN peacekeeper.
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