Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian Minister of Education and Culture, Anies Baswedan, has visited Canberra, Australia to discuss Indonesias seriousness in cooperating with Australia in the field of education.

"The cooperation and investment in education and culture are important assets that will have a huge impact on both countries," Baswedan said in a press release received by Antara here Wednesday.

The minister had a meeting with about 200 Indonesian people and students at the Indonesian embassy in Canberra, November 29.

The minister advised the Indonesian students to foster and promote the spirit of struggle, entrepreneurship, and leadership, and develop a network and learn to become experts in their respective fields of study.

Baswedan hoped that students who have completed their education and gained work experience in Australia would return to Indonesia to develop the nation.

The minister also met with a number of Australian ministers, among who were Minister of International Tourism and Education Richard Colbeck, Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop, and Education and Training Minister Simon Birmingham.

The potential for cooperation between Indonesia and Australia during the tenure of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is getting bigger and bigger, and one is through the use of Indonesian in Australia, Indonesias Ambassador to Australia Nadjib Riphat Kesoema said.

"The number of Indonesian students in Australia in 2015 reached 17,700. The relationship and economic cooperation between the two countries is closer and closer, while the value of trade was more than AU$12 billion," the ambassador said.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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