TRADE TIES WITH INDONESIA STILL STRONG, SAYS MUSTAPA

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 2 (Bernama) -- Bilateral trade ties between Malaysia and
Indonesia are still strong despite the recent protests by the People's
Democratic Front in front of the Malaysian embassy in Jakarta.

International Trade and Industry Minister, Mustapa Mohamed, said the two
countries shared the same cultural identity and the relationships were good in
terms of trade.

"Business people and Malaysian tourists have been accepted there and we are
also hosts to about two million Indonesians here," he told reporters after a
Quran-reading session at his ministry here Thursday.

Mustapa said this when asked to comment on the statement by Indonesia's
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono Thursday.

Susilo has urged the Malaysian government to resolve the border issues
between the two countries and advised Indonesians to avoid resorting to extreme
acts.

"It is a positive statement and it is my hope we develop closer bilateral
economic and trade ties. I also hope the Indonesians appreciate the importance
of business relationships with Malaysia," he said.

He said going forward, both counties were committed to the creation of the
Asean Economic Community by 2015.

Exports to Indonesia July this year stood at RM1.41 billion (US$454
million)while imports amounted to RM2.65 billion (US$854 million).
-- BERNAMA


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