RIYADH, 12 April 2006 — Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono will begin a nine-day official trip to four Gulf states later this month.
The purpose of the Indonesian president’s tour to the four member states of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is to boost bilateral relations and in particular to encourage the flow of investment from the Middle East to Indonesia.
President Yudhoyono will arrive in Riyadh on April 25 and then go to Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, said Helmi Jasim Sebubaker, a presidential spokesperson.
Helmi said the president, accompanied by 30 to 50 officials and businessmen, would hold talks with Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and other Saudi officials. He said the visit was primarily intended to forge closer ties between the two countries.
Yudhoyono has also expressed a wish to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Ismail Hanniyeh during his visit to the region, the spokesperson said.
Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation, has consistently supported Palestine’s struggle for an independent and sovereign state.
The Kingdom and Indonesia share common approaches on a whole range of regional and international issues. They also coordinate their positions as members of the UN, the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
