Mr Vice President,
Mrs Kalla,
Ministers,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen.

A very warm welcome to you all. The Queen and I are delighted to have you as our guests this evening. And we are especially honoured by the presence of Mr Vice President and Mrs Kalla.

I would like to express our sincere gratitude for the kind hospitality shown to us at yesterday’s reception ceremony and state banquet at the Bogor Presidential Palace.

This is the first ever State Visit between Sweden and Indonesia, and these first few days of our visit have been most rewarding. We greatly appreciate this opportunity to further strengthen the relations between our two countries.

We have a full schedule during our visit here, with many interesting meetings. To mention just one: earlier today, I had the privilege of meeting a group of talented young people at the Hackathon. Teams of students competed to develop new solutions to improve the traffic situation. The students I met had been working hard for 24 hours – but they were still enthusiastic and full of energy. A most inspiring meeting!

The Hackathon is a fine example of how collaboration between industry, academia and government can lead to innovation and help us find new solutions to common challenges.

In connection with tonight’s reception, an exhibition will be displayed, showing Sweden from different perspectives. It focuses on sustainability, innovation and creativity, which are core values for Swedish business and the themes of this visit.

I hope this evening will give you a chance to get to know Sweden a little better. But most importantly, I hope that it will be an opportunity to get to know each other. After all, it is the personal relationships – the friendships formed through cooperation and exchange – that really tie our two countries together.

Once again, thank you for receiving us in Indonesia and for your presence here tonight.