Swedish King Plants Ironwood Tree At Cifor

BOGOR, W Java, May 23 (Antara) - Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf planted an ironwood tree at the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) office here, Monday, during his first state visit to Indonesia in 65 years of bilateral relation. The plantation event which was held in West Java Province's Bogor city was attended by Queen Silvia of Sweden, Swedish Infrastructure Minister Anna Johansson and some CIFOR researchers. CIFOR chairman Peter Holmgren, who earlier had a closed-door meeting with the King, said that as an endemic tree, Ironwood was found only in Indonesia's lowland. "The tree's structure is similar to the pines in North Sweden," Holmgren, who is a Swedish citizen, stated. During the event, the King also demonstrated the proper method to plant a tree by watering the soil nearby. After planting the ironwood tree, the King greeted members of the scout, who had participated in the event. During their visit to Indonesia, the Swedish King and Queen also attended an international seminar on sustainable forest and natural resource management. At the seminar, some CIFOR researchers presented recent reports on forests, natural resources and other environmental issues. The seminar was attended by hundreds of participants from various backgrounds, including students, lecturers, businessman and policymakers. As part of the agenda of his state visit to Indonesia, the Swedish King was scheduled to visit three cities, including Bogor, Jakarta, and Bandung, in the country. Earlier this morning, King Gustaf and Queen Silvia were welcomed by Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) and First Lady Iriana at the Bogor Palace. Following a cannon salute and state ceremony, Jokowi accompanied the King to see "The Hand of God" statue, which was created by Swedish sculptor Carl Miles. The statue was given to Indonesia in 1957 as a gift from the Swedish government. During the event, both leaders also witnessed signing of Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) on cooperation between the two countries in some sectors, including transportation, air navigation and airport services.