The 62nd anniversary of Independence of the Republic of Indonesia was celebrated here on Friday. On this occasion, the Consulate General of Indonesia in Karachi held a ceremony at a local hotel. The Consul General of the Republic of Indonesia in Karachi Mustakim cut a cake. The national anthems of both the countries were played on this occasion.
A large number of diplomats of different countries including the USA, UK, France, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Poland and other countries attended this programme. Naib City Nazima Nasreen Jalil also attended the ceremony. A number of dignitaries from trade community were also present in the function. Talking to Business Recorder on this occasion, the Indonesian Commercial Consul Hikmat Moeljawan said that the bilateral trade volume between Pakistan and Indonesia is increasing by over 10 percent annually.
He said that Pakistan imports palm oil, paper, tea and other items from Indonesia while it exports, chemicals, fruits, cotton yarn and fiber to this East Asian country.
The trade is in favour of Indonesia as its total exports were over 650 million dollars, while its imports from Pakistan were less than 100 million dollar during the last fiscal year. He invited the Pakistan business community to come Indonesia to explore new market for Pakistani products. He said that Indonesia was a big consumer market as its total population was over 220 million. Indonesian is one of the growing economies in the region and now its per capita income has reached to 1600 dollar.