"The economic ties between Indonesia and South Africa are still low. We are trying to increase the relations in various fields including energy and industrial sectors," Vice President Jusuf Kalla said after holding bilateral talks with his South African counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa, at the Jakarta Convention Center on Thursday.
Indonesia and South Africa not only share the same history in their political struggle but also are endowed with abundant coal resources, Kalla said.
One of South African heroes, namely Syeikh Yusuf is a figure who is highly respected in Indonesia. Similarly, former South African President Nelson Mandela also loved the Indonesian culture. These all will increasingly unite the two nations and increase their economic relations, Kalla said.
Syeikh Yusuf was sent into exile in Sri Lanka by Dutch for helping the sultan of Banten fight the colonial ruler, before being moved to South Africa in 1694. He died five years later.
The Indonesian government conferred the title of national hero on Yusuf, who hailed from Gowa in South Sulawesi, in 1995.
"We talked about bilateral ties, both in economic and social sectors. There are a lot of things that unite us," Kalla said.
Meanwhile, Cyril Ramaphosa expressed his countrys interest to build a smelter and power plant in Indonesia.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2015
