REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Russia is interested in building railway mass transport facility in Kalimantan, Coordinating Minister for Economy Darmin Nasution said here on Saturday.
Minister of State Enterprises Rini Soemarno is still in Russia to discuss more details about the project, Darmin said upon arrival from that country at Halim Perdana Kusuma airport.
Darmin and Rini were included in the delegation headed by President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) to attend Russian-Asean summit meeting in Russia.
Rini would see the factory and check the Russian speed train, which was said to have a speed of 250 kilometers per hour, Darmin said.
He said during his stay in Russia, President Jokowi and entourage had one on one meeting with big Russian companies.
Among the companies were Russian Railways , which already has a contract to build a coal railway in Kalimantan, he said.
He said opportunities are wide open for cooperation between state companies of the two countries such as railway companies.
In the one on one meeting Russian investors expressed interest in building oil refinery and petrochemical factories, he said.
"Investment and business plans would be in large scale in petrochemical industry to become an export base in addition to supplying domestic requirement," the minister said.
Russian investors also were interested in cooperation with Inalum, the state-owned aluminum smelter in Asahan, to build aluminum downstream industry.
"Russian President Vladimir Putin seems to know much about projects Indonesia needs to build," he said, adding most of the Russian investors are state companies.
He said the Russian investors are all serious, adding they need only blessing from the government.
On Thursday, an agreement would be signed on the petrochemical and oil refinery projects between Pertamina and Russian counterpart, he cited.
Before flying to Russia, President Jokowi and his entourage visited South Korea to promote bilateral business and economic cooperation.
Darmin said the Indonesian delegation, which included a number of business leaders, talked with hundreds of Korean business leaders in a business forum and business luncheon.
"In the business luncheon we talked with Korean investors who have business in Indonesia and those seeking to invest in the country," he said.
He said Lotte, which has supermarket in Indonesia plans to expand its business in the country, adding, "They want to invest in petrochemical industry.
Korea's steel giant Posco also plans to expand cooperation with state-owned steel maker PT Krakatau Steel.
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