Dutch PM vows to return Indonesian artifacts

The Netherlands will return thousands of Indonesian cultural artifacts kept by the Netherlands since colonial times, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte promised while meeting with Indonesian president Joko Widodo in Jakarta, local news agency Jakarta Globe reports.

"I presented to Mr. President a keris from our collection in Delft. As many s 1,500 artifacts wil be brought home to Indonesia; this keris is the first one", Rutte said in a joint press conference after the meeting. The return of the artifacts is intended to strengthen the bilateral relations between the Netherlands and Indonesia, Rutte said.

Rutte visited Indonesia along with a trade mission. "I am pleased that [the prime minister] brought along three ministers and 200 Dutch business men", President Widodo said during the press conference. "It shows they can't wait to invest in Indonesia."