Indonesia and the Netherlands have agreed to start cooperating over cybersecurity in the hope of securing and protecting the economy of the Southeast Asian country.

Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi on Tuesday met Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok, who was on his first visit to Jakarta, having taken office earlier this year.

During the meeting, Blok and Indonesia’s National Cyber and Encryption Agency (BSSN) head Djoko Setiadi signed a letter of intent stating that the two countries would cooperate over
cybersecurity.

“We agreed to launch bilateral dialogue to discuss how to enhance capability, to share experiences about legislation and discuss how to protect vital digital infrastructure,” said Blok, according to a joint press statement.

Previously, Roel van der Veen, a spokesperson for the Dutch Embassy in Jakarta, told The Jakarta Post that Indonesia wanted a free cyberspace, but at the same time needed to ensure security, so the Netherlands wanted to establish a partnership for a “transparent, free, and mature” cyberspace in Indonesia.

Separately, a BSSN press release said cooperation was needed amid the growing cybersecurity challenges as cybersecurity had become an “inseparable part of protecting Indonesia’s economy and security”.

“The cooperation will be parallel and mutually beneficial. Indonesia not only receives assistance but also an opportunity to share its experience in cybersecurity as a means of capacity building to develop human resources in both countries,” it said.

The letter of intent, it said, represented both countries’ commitment to issues involving cybersecurity, like a management strategy, human resources training and the development of digital technology.

The two ministers also concluded an agreement on joint efforts to protect maritime coastal heritage, Blok said.

“Coastal heritage institutions in the Netherlands and Indonesia will do further research into the sites of three Dutch shipwrecks located in the Java Sea. We agree to protect these sites as a place for commemorations,” he said.

The issue of the shipwrecks was triggered by a report from a Dutch diver who in 2002 found three Dutch warships sunk by the Japanese during World War II, namely the De Ruyter, the Java and the Kortenaer.

After their discovery the three wrecks reportedly disappeared and Dutch officials suspected they had been stripped down as scrap for sale.

In the joint press statement, Retno said that 2018 marked the fifth year of a comprehensive partnership between Indonesia and the Netherlands, an occasion being used to improve their cooperation over security.

“I specifically mentioned the need to strengthen cooperation to combat drug trafficking. Indonesia will not allow it to be a lucrative market for drug traffickers,” she said, adding that both ministers also raised the issue of combating terrorism.

The two countries discussing sharing intelligence on drug trafficking, but an agreement was hindered by the Netherlands not wanting to provide information that could lead to someone being put to death by Indonesia.

The Foreign Ministry’s director general for American and European Affairs, Muhammad Anshor, said that despite the different policies, the two countries “could still cooperate” on the issue as the problem was a “common challenge”.

The Netherlands is Indonesia’s largest trading partner in Europe after Germany. The worth of bilateral trade between them rose 27.3 percent last year, reaching US$5.06 billion.

The Netherland’s was Indonesia’s seventh-largest investor in 2017, with 871 projects worth a total of $1.49 billion.

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