TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
RI, Madagascar aim to translate historical ties into economic cooperation
The government hopes to boost cooperation in trade and investment, especially in the energy and maritime sectors, with Madagascar, an African nation with historical ties with Indonesia spanning over a millennium, an official has said
Change Size
T
he government hopes to boost cooperation in trade and investment, especially in the energy and maritime sectors, with Madagascar, an African nation with historical ties with Indonesia spanning over a millennium, an official has said.
'Today is the right time to transform the historical links between Indonesia and Madagascar into economic cooperation that benefits both nations,' Lasro Simbolon, the director for African affairs at the Foreign Ministry, said during a roundtable discussion themed 'Enhancing Bilateral Relations between Indonesia and Madagascar' in Jakarta on Thursday.
The discussion was attended by officials from various Indonesian ministries as well as dozens of members of the Madagascar-based Center of Diplomatic and Strategic Studies (CDSS). The CDSS is tasked to help the Madagasy government expand and develop the country's national capacity in many sectors.
The event was held ahead of the 60th commemoration of the Asian-African Conference on April 24, which Malagasy President Hery Rajaonarimampianina will attend.
In 2005, then Malagasy president Marc Ravalomanana attended the conference's 50th anniversary in Indonesia.
Lasro said the two countries were exploring opportunities to cooperate in the sector of energy and maritime, which were among the priorities of President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo's administration.
Indonesia-Madagascar bilateral trade, however, is small and has been decreasing. In 2014, total trade stood at US$ 66.17 million as opposed to $78.6 million in 2013. Almost all of the trade volume was Indonesian exports.
Among Indonesia's top commodities exported to Madagascar are crude palm oil (CPO), food, consumer goods and household tools.
Lasro also mentioned in his statement that Madagascar should think about opening an embassy in Jakarta. 'An embassy in Jakarta could also cover other ASEAN countries,' he said.
While Indonesia has an embassy in the Madagascar capital of Antananarivo, Indonesia is currently under accreditation of Madagascar's embassy in Japan. The two countries' diplomatic relations were established in 1975.
