WASHINGTON, Oct 17: Secretary of State John Kerry will travel to Indonesia for the inauguration Monday of the Southeast Asian nation’s new president.
Joko Widodo, a former furniture exporter who achieved political prominence as governor of the capital, Jakarta, won presidential elections in July.
He defeated a former general with links to the regime of ex-dictator Suharto.
Widodo replaces President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who has served since 2004.
Kerry will head a delegation of senior US officials, including assistant secretary for East Asia, Daniel Russel. The Obama administration has cultivated a stronger US relationship with Indonesia as part of its effort to “rebalance” American foreign policy toward Asia. President Barack Obama, who lived in Indonesia as a child, visited the country twice during his first term. (AGENCIES)
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