MINISTER of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi said Indonesia is committed to building stronger cooperation with Turkey, and can contribute to global peace and prosperity.
“Apart from exchanging visits, the two of us also maintain very intensive communication. “This shows the strength of relations between the two countries,” said Retno during a visit to Turkey, in a press statement from the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Wednesday (1/5).
The close relationship between the two countries was marked by the visit of Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to Jakarta in July last year, which the Indonesian Foreign Minister responded to by visiting Ankara.
Despite expressing satisfaction with current Indonesia-Turkey relations, Retno explained several areas of cooperation that might still be strengthened.
Retno said the two countries were committed to accelerating the finalization of the Indonesia-Turkey Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, and welcomed the plan to hold the 5th round of CEPA negotiations this year.
“We are confident that the finalization of CEPA will bring change and increase our bilateral trade and investment,” said Retno.
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Regarding defense cooperation, the two foreign ministers agreed to hold a 2+2 meeting and welcomed the ongoing military and defense dialogue.
Retno and Fidan also welcomed strategic cooperation in the development of the defense industry, including joint production of medium weight tanks (MWT), and were committed to working together in marketing them.
Both countries are also committed to continuing cooperation in eradicating transnational crime through the signing of a Security Cooperation Agreement as an umbrella for cooperation and hope that the MoU regarding eradicating terrorism and eradicating transnational crime can be completed soon.
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“The two countries are also developing strategic cooperation in development cooperation. We are fellow developing countries. “Together, we can offer capacity building and joint projects for Southern countries,” said Retno.
For Turkey, Indonesia is one of the first partners in the Asia Pacific region to establish a High Level Strategic Cooperation Council (HLSC) mechanism.
The HLSC was announced jointly by Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Bali, in 2022.
“Today, we also discussed preparations for the first HLSC meeting early next year, especially regarding the potential for real results. “We task our officials to further identify and accelerate the completion of potential agreements and the results that can be achieved for the success of holding the first Indonesia-Turkey HLSC,” said Retno. (Z-8)
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