RI, CZECH REPUBLIC TO COOPERATE IN INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT

London, Aug 24 (ANTARA) - Indonesia and the Czech Republic signed an infrastructure development cooperation agreement at the first Joint Commission Meeting (SKB) in Prague over the weekend.

Indonesian Embassy spokesman in Prague, Azis Nurwahyudi, said that in the Joint Commission Meeting the two countries agreed to step up cooperation in trade, investment and economy.

He said the Joint Commission was a mechanism to promote bilateral economic cooperation between the two countries in various fields.

In the light of this, the governments of the two countries had agreed to invite their business players to attend various trade fairs in the two countries.

Besides the cooperation in trade, investment, and economy; the two countries also agreed to improve cooperation in energy, defense, agriculture industry, health-care equipment, infrastructure, and banking.

He also stressed on the importance of people-to-people contacts through cooperation in education among the two countries' universities and the provision of scholarships from the Czech government to Indonesian students.

Azis Nurwahyudi said that besides the bilateral relations and cooperation, the Czech prime minister's plan to visit Indonesia in 2010 and a draft of free visa for holders of diplomatic and service passports were also discussed in the Joint Commission Meeting.