Finland Times

President Sauli Niinistö on Wednesday said Indonesia is one potential country as Finland looks for new trade partners.

Quite a lot has happened in terms of trade between Indonesia and Finland and all signs point to the fact that more is to come in the future, the president told the news agency STT in Jakarta.

According to Niinistö, Finland’s strengths and Indonesia’s areas of interest complement each other strongly.

Indonesia, which has about 240 million people, is in search of economic solutions and wants to tackle challenges brought about by population and urbanisation such as waste management, infrastructure and logistics as well as construction of telecommunication connections.

Indonesia is also planning to reduce the use of non-renewable forms of energy significantly over the next 5-10 years. Nowadays, the country’s main sources of energy are oil and coal.

Niinistö said, from Finland’s point of view, the most important opportunity can be found in energy efficiency and renewable energy solutions incorporated in cleantech, ICT and infrastructure as well as educational exports.

According to the president, Finland’s strength in these areas is well known and interests Indonesia.

The President’s visit to Indonesia also entails a delegation of 11 business leaders who will meet with local economic and business leaders aiming to promote economic partnerships.