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Indonesia, UK sign 5 cooperation agreements
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Fisheries business – Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti poses for a photo with a UK official during President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's working visit to London on Tuesday.
(Courtesy of the Presidential Office/-)
I
ndonesia and the UK signed agreements to tighten cooperation in five fields during President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo's working visit to London on Tuesday.
Aside from cooperation in the creative economy, the two countries agreed to work together in the fields of sports, fisheries and maritime affairs and education, as well as reaching a business-to business agreement between national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia and Airbus and Rolls Royce.
The signing of the five cooperation agreements reflects the stronger bilateral relations between the two countries, the presidential communication team said in a statement on Wednesday.
The team said the memorandums of understanding (MOUs) had been signed on the sidelines of a one-on-one meeting between Jokowi and Prime Minister David Cameron in London on Tuesday.
In the field of the creative economy, the agreement ensured tighter cooperation in capacity-building and skills, education and training. The agreement will also serve as the basis for the development of the creative industry in Indonesia, including financing models and the development of creative cities.
“I will use my visit to strengthen cooperation in the creative economy and to develop our creative industry," Jokowi said as quoted in the statement.
In sports, the two countries agreed to cooperate in the organizing of world sporting events. The agreement provides a framework to share experience and information between the two countries, such as strategies and programs to maximize trade, business opportunities and investment. This cooperation will benefit Indonesia, which is currently preparing to host the 2018 Asian Games.
Indonesia and the UK also agreed to cooperate in combating illegal fishing, developing maritime and fisheries research, biodiversity conservation, fisheries management systems and human resources capacity-building. A technical working committee has been established to discuss the cooperation further.
The presidential communication team said the MoU signed by Garuda Indonesia, Airbus and Rolls Royce aimed to develop the capacity of the Garuda Maintenance Facility (GMF).
The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) aims to ink 11 business agreements worth Rp 10 billion (US$759,446) with UK companies, comprising cooperation in the fields of energy, telecommunications, consumer products, agribusiness and industry.
Kadin chairman Rosan Roeslandi expressed his support for Jokowi’s visit to four Europe countries, namely Germany, the UK, Belgium and the Netherlands.
Kadin vice chairman Shinta Widjaja Kamdani welcomed the progress achieved in the initial phase of the Indonesia- EU Comprehensive Partnership Agreement (IE-CEPA), noting that amid the current global economic challenges, strengthening business and economic relations between the two parties through a free trade agreement was vital.
Shinta said IE-CEPA could effectively boost Indonesia's export performance by cutting the high taxes imposed by EU governments on several Indonesian commodities, including cocoa products, fish, palm oil and other agricultural products.
"Kadin will continue to work with the government to ensure that the implementation of IE-CEPA is based on the principles of fair trade, which cover several issues, namely tariff and non-tariff barriers, trade in goods and services and investment," said Shinta.
She further noted that the EU was also one of Indonesia’s largest export destinations and second-largest source of foreign direct investment. (ebf)
