The President of Iceland, Mr. Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson has invited representatives from Indonesia to join the 2^nd Arctic Circle conference which will take place later this year in Reykjavik, the capital city of Iceland.

The president made the offer when hosting credentials from Yuwono A. Putranto, the Indonesian Ambassador to Iceland, at his residence in Bessastaðir, Reykjavik. The Indonesian Embassy in Oslo's second secretary of educational, social and cultural affairs Dyah Kusumawardani disclosed the news in a written statement on Sunday.

On the visit, Ambassador Yuwono passed on Indonesia President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's best wishes to his Icelandic counterpart and the people of Iceland.

The ambassador said his country had a strong desire to enhance cooperation between the two nations in a number of different fields. He expressed hope that the government of Iceland and stakeholders would be willing to support the efforts.

The ambassador also mentioned the current situation in Indonesia, where legislative elections are due to be held on 9 April.

The Icelandic president also offered his best wishes to the president and people of Indonesia, and vowed to support the ambassador's efforts to increase cooperation between the two countries. He noted that bilateral cooperation could be increased in the geothermal field to the benefit of both nations.

Indonesia and Iceland first established diplomatic ties in 1983. Cooperation between the nations covers fishery and geothermal affairs.