Selamat pagi bapa dan ibu,

I am glad to be back in Jakarta and thank you, Minister Retno Marsudi, for your invitation and warm hospitality.

Since my last visit to your beautiful country four years ago, our bilateral relations have registered significant development: Armenia established an Embassy in Jakarta. A delegation of the House of Regional Representatives, first ever high-level official visit from Indonesia to Armenia, took place last year. Indonesia abolished visa requirement for the citizens of Armenia; we have started an active cooperation between educational and scientific institutions of our countries. This is to name just a few.

Today’s visit is aimed at further strengthening the already existing friendly relations, exploring new areas of cooperation, enhancing interaction in multilateral fora, boosting economic ties, expanding cultural exchanges, promoting tourism and people to people contacts.

With Minister Retno Marsudi, we have stressed the importance of the prospects of cooperation within different economic integration formats.

We emphasized the importance of intensification of interaction within the framework of international organizations, we have taken a concrete step in this direction by signing a Memorandum of Understanding on regular consultations between our Foreign Ministries. We have also expressed satisfaction over the establishment of direct contacts between Diplomatic school of Armenian Foreign Ministry and the Center for Education and Training of the Indonesian Foreign Ministry.

With my colleague, we have touched upon number of regional and international issues: situation in the Middle East, fight against terrorism, the plight of refugees, peaceful resolution of the conflicts.

I have briefed my colleague on the current state of Nagorno-Karabakh settlement process and the efforts exercised to this end by Armenia together with the Co-Chairs of the Minsk Group of the OSCE - Russia, United States and France.

Thank you again, Madam Minister and I would like to reiterate my invitation for you to visit Armenia.