Oleg Belozerov, President of Open Joint Stock Company Russian Railways, paid a working visit to the Republic of Indonesia on 5 and 6 October 2016.
During the visit, the Company head held a series of meetings with representatives from Indonesia government bodies involved in rail and transport and Edi Sukmoro, President of the national state railway company PT Kereta Api Indonesia.
During their talks, the two sides discussed prospects for cooperation between Russia and Indonesia in the field of railway transport. According to Oleg Belozerov, in its international activities the Company accords particular importance to cooperation with Indonesian partners.
During his meeting with Budi Karya Sumadi, Indonesia’s Minister of Transport, the head of Russian Railways praised bilateral cooperation in the field of training. According to Belozerov, since 2014, 50 places have been allocated every year to train Indonesian students at Russian universities. One hundred students from the island of Kalimantan are currently training in Russia, with another 50 due to arrive in early October 2016.
For his part, Budi Karya Sumadi expressed his intention to invite Russian lecturers to Indonesian universities, not only to teach students, but also to conduct scientific research.
Belozerov, who also currently heads the International Union of Railways (UIC), said that the UIC appreciates the participation of Indonesia’s Ministry of Transport and PT Kereta Api Indonesia in the UIC’s activities.
“I believe that many of the initiatives arising within the UIC may be of interest to Indonesia’s railways and transport administration and would like to invite you to cooperate actively on the international platform,” said Oleg Belozerov.
The President of Russian Railways met with Rini Soemarno, Minister of State-Owned Businesses of the Republic of Indonesia, and Edi Sukmoro, President of the state railway corporation PT Kereta Api Indonesia. During their meeting, they discussed various areas of cooperation. Rini Soemarno expressed confidence that the “high level of competence at Russian Railways in organising management systems will significantly improve the performance of Indonesia’s existing railways.”
During the discussion with Susi Pudjiastuti, Indonesia’s Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, special attention was paid to environmental issues. Oleg Belozerov noted that Russian Railways pays close attention to environmental questions. He said that Russian Railways had adopted an “Environmental Strategy” and taken on serious commitments to reduce the Company’s negative impact on nature.
“In all our projects, we try not to disturb the balance of nature. That is a key factor for us,” said Oleg Belozerov.
During the talks, the sides also discussed various aspects of the project approach to the implementation of transport infrastructure projects on the island of Kalimantan to transport coal and other goods.
(Source: RZD)
