Honorable Rene van der Linden, President of the Eerste Kamer der Staten General,
Honorable Gerdi Verbeet, President of the Tweede Kamer der Staten General,
H. E. Mrs. Gerda Verburg, Minister of Agriculture of the Netherlands,
H.E. Mr. Bernard Bot,
Honorable member of the Dutch Parliament,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen

I am delighted and privileged to welcome you all in this Indonesian house to celebrate the 65th Anniversary of the Republic of Indonesia. Your presence shows our candid and warm relations between the two nations.

65 years ago, our founding fathers proclaimed our independence and since then Indonesia has gone through many ups and downs, many political changes and even some crises. Yet our nation succeeded such a journey and as you may be aware, Indonesia becomes the third largest democratic country in the world, the biggest Moeslim population in the world, a member of the G20, a leading nation in maintaining peace and security in South East Asia, and a strong supporter for the maintenance of world order.

However, 65 years of existence for our nation is considered too young, too short to fulfill our goals. Our journey is far from an end, our ideal has yet to be achieved, and our aspiration as a nation has yet to come true. Our constitution directs us to establish an Indonesian State that protects the people and the homeland of Indonesia, advances public prosperity, develops the nation's intellectual life, and contributes to the world order based on freedom, peace and social justice.

I am confident that with the support and cooperation from other friendly nations we shall be able to achieve not only our own ideals but also our shared dreams.

Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am glad to note the current state of the bilateral relations between Indonesia and the Netherlands. Since the visit of H.E. Mr. Bernard Bot, then Foreign Minister of the Netherlands to Indonesia in 2005, and the highest ranking officer among Dutch government officials who attended our Independence Day ceremony in Jakarta, our relations has improved significantly. Such a visit has opened a new chapter in our bilateral relations which now has become closer and more mature.

To establish a more structured and forward looking bilateral relations, the Government of Indonesia and the Netherlands is planning to have a comprehensive partnership agreement that hopefully could be signed very soon. I am confident that such a partnership between Indonesia and the Netherlands should offer tremendous opportunities for the two peoples because of our shared history - not in spite of it. There are a three and half centuries of an intertwined history between Indonesia and the Netherlands, and ups and downs in the relations since 17 August 1945. By establishing a framework for the bilateral relations, I believe a true partnership between the two countries would grow.

There are opportunities to further develop our relationship. Trade relations, for example, today stands at USD 4.5 billion, and the Dutch has been the 8TH  biggest foreign investor in Indonesia with the total value of USD 8.9 billion. The huge potential in our relations should be explored to benefit our two peoples and I am more than confident that the comprehensive partnership will transform the relations in such a way that the Netherlands becomes our gateway to European market and Indonesia becomes the gateway for the Netherlands to the Southeast and East Asian markets.

The comprehensive partnership is going to be signed during the state visit of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to the Netherlands that is planned to take place in the coming month.

Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

In today's interdependence world, no nation would survive without support and cooperation from other countries. As diplomat, and as a messenger of goodwill and peace, I am glad to note of Indonesia's friendly relations with the countries in the region as well as the international community. There are challenges ahead of us to have a more peaceful and prosperous world for the humankind to live in. We need to work together to build on solidarity across cultures to promote a confluence of civilizations that will be a basic foundation for a better world and better future. This is one of the purpose of our existence as a nation.

In closing, let me extend once again our warmest welcome to each and all of you. Please enjoy Indonesian hospitality in this my humble residence.

I thank you.

 

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