Also on the agenda of the talks are regional and global topics such as the promotion of peace, trade and the fight against piracy.

With this visit, which is Merkel's first to Indonesia as Federal Chancellor, she is acknowledging the country's development and the importance of German-Indonesian relations. Indonesia is Germany's fourth most important trade partner within ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and a priority country of German development cooperation.

With 240 million inhabitants, Indonesia is the fourth most populous country in the world. It also hast the world's largest Muslim population. On the domestic front, the country has these past years followed the path of constitutional reform, multipartism and decentralisation. At the same time, the G20 member has developed a very dynamic economy. It has the third highest rate of economic growth in the world, making it one of the leading emerging nations.

In Indonesia Merkel will meet with President Yudhoyono. Talks with the President of the Constitutional Court of Indonesia are also on the agenda. The court, which was created in 2003, cooperates closely with the German Federal Constitutional Court. The Federal Chancellor will visit the Istiqlal mosque as well as the Immanuel Christian church, as a symbolic gesture of acknowledgement of religious diversity.

A visit to the Tsunami Early Warning Centre is also planned. The centre was established in large part by Potsdam's Geoforschungszentrum, together with Indonesian partners. The promotion of good governance, as well as climate and energy projects, are other important fields of development cooperation.

During her visit to Indonesia, the Federal Chancellor will meet with representatives from civil society, NGO members as well as trade unionists. She is accompanied by representatives from the German political parties as well as a business delegation.