Indonesia's
Ambassador to Australia, His Excellency Mr Imron
Cotan, made his first official visit to the
State of Western Australia from 2-6 August 2004.
Ambassador Cotan was accompanied on the visit
by his wife Mrs Sri Nuraeni Cotan, the Indonesian
Consul General in Perth, Mr Mukhlis Yunus, and
Head of the Information Section at the Embassy
in Canberra, Ms Trini G. Sualang.
In Perth, Ambassador Cotan
met with a variety of dignitaries including
the Governor of Western Australia, His Excellency
Lieutenant General John Sanderson AC, the Premier,
The Hon Dr Geoff Gallop MLA, the Chief Justice
The Hon. David Malcolm AC, and the Lord Mayor
of the City of Perth, the Rt Hon Dr Peter Nattrass.
On Wednesday, August 4, 2004
Ambassador Cotan was accorded a civic reception
in his honour on behalf of the City of Perth
and attended by a gathering of many of Western
Australian leaders from all walks of life.
The Ambassador also held briefings
with senior officials from the Departments of
Agriculture and the Department of Industry and
Resources and with vice chancellors of Murdoch
University and the Curtin University of Technology,
where he met and talked to a Indonesian students
studying at the University.
He concluded his visit giving
a lecture attended by various business sector
representatives including senior executives
and members of the Western Australian Chamber
of Commerce and Industry and the Australia-Indonesia
Business Council.
Ambassador Cotan spoke of the friendship and
cooperation that existed between Western Australians
and Indonesia, especially with the Provincial
Government of East Java, with whom Western Australia
had had close connections for some years under
the framework of the Sister-State/Province relationship
between Western Australia and East Java.
He also highlighted that Indonesia
was hopeful that the private sector would return
to Indonesia in a big way with increasing levels
of investment and trade. Both of the presidential
candidates had already indicated a strong focus
on economic growth over the next five years,
and Ambassador Cotan extended an invitation
to Western Australian companies to take advantage
of the new opportunities opening up.
