N. Sumatra governor welcomes EU delegation, invites investment

N. Sumatra governor welcomes EU delegation, invites investment
Apriadi Gunawan
The Jakarta Post

Medan, North Sumatra | October 20, 2016 | 04:53 pm


North Sumatra Governor T. Erry Nuradi has welcomed a delegation of European diplomats to the province, saying the three-day visit created momentum for closer ties.

He expressed hope that the trip, led by EU Ambassador to Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam Vincent Guérend, would strengthen partnerships in various fields between the Indonesian province and EU member countries.

“There are many investment opportunities in North Sumatra that could benefit EU businesspeople,” said Erry in his welcoming remarks to Guérend and representatives of 12 EU member countries on Wednesday.

The governor said investment opportunities the EU could tap into included the Sei Mangke special economic zone for the development of the palm oil industry and its derivatives in Simalungun regency. He said investment opportunities in North Sumatra would become more promising in the future with the development of infrastructure such as Kualanamu International Airport in Deli Serang regency, Belawan Port in Medan and Kuala Tanjung Port in Batubara regency.

Guérend said Medan was the third city the EU delegation visited after Bandung in West Java and Surabaya in East Java. He said it was in the EU’s interest to build a bilateral partnership with the central government in Jakarta. However, the EU was also willing to look directly at areas across Indonesia, especially those located outside Java.

“We consider Medan as unique not only in its culture but also in its economy. North Sumatra is a strategic province, because it has both sea and forests. That’s why we want to see directly the potential to increase our partnership with the province,” said Guérend. (ebf)