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Germany-RI bilateral trade vision correlates with govt development program: Retno
Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi said on Monday that Germany remains one of Indonesiaâs most important partners, as the countryâs bilateral trade vision correlates well with the governmentâs current development program
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F
oreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi said on Monday that Germany remains one of Indonesia's most important partners, as the country's bilateral trade vision correlates well with the government's current development program.
Retno made the remarks at a meeting in Jakarta with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Monday.
During the meeting, the two foreign ministers discussed various issues relating to the implementation of the Joint Declaration for a Comprehensive Partnership, or the Jakarta Declaration, which was signed in 2012 by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
In the agreement, both countries agreed to strengthen cooperation in health care, food security, research, trade and investment, as well as sustainable transport ' aspects of which Retno said were among the main development focuses of the current government.
Among the issues discussed by the two foreign ministers on Monday were the easing of export commodities such as crude palm oil (CPO) into Germany, investment in health care, as well as the request for a visa waiver for Indonesian diplomatic and service passports.
'In regards to the passports, Steinmeier has agreed to consider the request, as 11 other countries in the Schengen area have granted us the same service. It will be a significant bilateral gesture if this is implemented,' Retno told The Jakarta Post on Monday.
Retno and Steinmeier also discussed maritime development topics, such as building seaports and joint capacity training for maritime workers. Germany's investment toward building a Volkswagen production plant in Cikampek, West Java, was also discussed, as the factory will become the automotive giant's Southeast Asian production hub.
'In order for the declaration's progress to be monitored, we will also officiate more direct bilateral communications on a regular basis,' Retno added.
Around 30 percent of Germany's CPO supplies are imported from Indonesia. Other Indonesian export commodities include furniture, textiles, rubber, coffee and automotive products.
Separately, Steinmeier elaborated that due to the German government's delegation consisting of several businesspeople as well as cultural artists, his visit was aimed at having a bigger impact on Indonesian relations in economic, cultural and political terms.
'We are here not just as a political delegation, as many German parliament members have joined the delegation of this trip. We aim to strengthen relations not just from the bilateral aspect, but also a parliamentary aspect,' Steinmeier said on Monday.
Steinmeier's meeting on Monday came on the last day of his three-day visit to Jakarta, which also involved visiting Tanjung Priok port in North Jakarta on Sunday and a scheduled visit with President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo on Monday.
A senator from the German region of Bremen is scheduled to visit Belawan, a port city on the island of Sumatra, in December in order to oversee the bilateral cooperation toward seaport development.
Indonesia will also be the guest of honor at the 2015 Frankfurt Book Fair. (dyl)(+++)
