European Union Ambassador to Indonesia, Brunei Darussalam and ASEAN Olof Skoog, said he hoped whoever was elected Indonesia's next president and vice president would continue to develop democracy, strengthen tolerance and uphold human rights.
"We hope that whoever is chosen will be an open leader, especially toward their own people," Skoog said on the sidelines of a European studies convention at Gadjah Mada University (UGM) in Yogyakarta on Wednesday.
Furthermore, Skoog said that he hoped the new leaders would continue to push for more infrastructure development, better education and economic growth.
Skoog referred to the fact that Indonesia and the EU had strong economic ties, with the EU relying heavily on Indonesia for timber products, adding that Indonesia supplied 10 percent of the wood needed among EU countries.
The EU's deputy ambassador, Colin Crooks, added that Indonesia's crude palm oil (CPO) exports to the EU had doubled in the past five years, and now controlled 48 percent of the total CPO on the market.
As one of the largest archipelagic nations in the world and with one of the largest populations, Skoog said the EU recognized Indonesia as an extremely strategic nation.
