Lisbon (ANTARA News)- President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is scheduled to hold meetings with Portuguese President Anibal Cavaco Silva and Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho here on Friday.

On Friday morning, Yudhoyono is to pay homage to Mosteiro Jeronimos heroes cemetery where Portuguese heroes such as Vasco de Gama and Luis Vaz de Camoes were buried.

Later on the day, President Silva is expected to greet Yudhoyono in Palacio de Belem where they are going to hold a tete-a-tete meeting and bilateral meeting.

After the meeting with Silva, Yudhoyono will proceed to official residence of Prime Minister Coelho for bilateral meeting and a lunch reception to honor the Indonesian head of state.

In the afternoon, Yudhoyono will meet Portuguese House Speaker Maria Assuncao Esteves in Parliament building.

Lisbon Mayor Antonio Costa is planned to give a key of Lisbon city to Yudhoyono to symbolize a friendship between Portugal and Indonesia.

In the evening, President Silva and First lady Maria Cavaco Silva will host a state banquet for President Yudhoyono and First Lady Ani Yudhoyono.

The ongoing state visit to Portugal is the second for any Indonesian presidents so far after the first one by President Soekarno in 1960. Indonesia and Portugal established diplomatic relations in 1950.

In 1999, Indonesia and Portugal resumed their diplomatic ties after being affected the East Timor issues. East Timor was Portuguese colony for more than 450 years.

East Timor, which comprised the eastern half of Indonesias island of Timor, located in East Nusa Tenggara Province, integrated into Indonesia in 1975.

Later, on August 30, 1999, in a UN-sponsored referendum, a majority of East Timorese voted for independence from Indonesia. Following a UN-administered transition period, East Timor was internationally recognized as an independent nation on May 20, 2002.

The bilateral relations between Portugal and Indonesia have been strengthened during the administration of Yudhoyono.

The two-way trade between Indonesia and Yudhoyono reached US$200 million.

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Editor: Aditia Maruli Radja
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