Jokowi visited Ankara in 2017 and Erdogan was originally scheduled to visit Indonesia in the second half of 2020 to mark 70 years of diplomatic relations, but the pandemic put the plan on ice.

Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi discussed the follow-up visit with her Turkish counterpart Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu in Jakarta on Tuesday, when they also signed a diplomatic training agreement.

Retno said the two countries were looking at forming a “high-level strategic council” as a forum for their leaders to regularly discuss strategic bilateral, regional and multilateral issues.

The two ministers are also hoping that negotiations on the Indonesia-Turkey Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IT-CEPA) will be completed next year, as mandated by the presidents of both countries.

“The IT-CEPA has the potential to increase bilateral trade between Indonesia and Turkey. It will also serve to demonstrate our commitment to an open, fair and free multilateral trade system, and to concerted efforts to support post-epidemic economic recovery,” said Retno.

Indonesia is one of Turkey’s largest trade partners in the Asia-Pacific, and the two sides are targeting US$10 billion in bilateral trade by 2023.

“When we look at the trade volume between the two countries, it is around US$1.5 billion. The total population of our two countries is 350 million, so $1.5 million is far [below] our true potential,” Çavuşoğlu said in a joint press event after the meeting.

Read also: Indonesian textile exports fall as Turkey imposes import duties

Retno said Indonesia also welcomed the increasing interest in Indonesia among Turkish investors, especially in shipping, agriculture and infrastructure.

“I also conveyed to the Turkish Foreign Minister about the recently enacted Job Creation Law, which I believe can create a climate that is increasingly conducive to Turkish investment in Indonesia,” she added.

The two foreign ministers hailed the close cooperation between their countries in the security and defense industry following Çavuşoğlu’s working meeting with Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto on Dec. 22.

“Regarding technology and industrial cooperation, since last June, intensive talks have been initiated by the two countries to cooperate in the aerospace industry, in electric cars, rocket launch sites, satellites and satellite launch vehicles, as well as medical and pharmaceutical technology,” said Retno.

The two Muslim-majority countries also discussed the latest developments in the Middle East and jointly expressed the need to strengthen the Organization of Islamic Cooperation amid the challenges in the Islamic world.

Specifically regarding the Israel-Palestine issue, Retno said she reaffirmed Indonesia’s commitment to stand behind Palestine.

Read also: Indonesia dismisses possibility of establishing ties with Israel

“The Palestinian issue must be resolved based on various [United Nations] Security Council resolutions and internationally agreed parameters, including the two-state solution,” she stressed.

Indonesia has pledged to recognize Israel only after Palestine had gained independence under the two-state solution, although details have recently emerged that the United States was offering financial incentives to Indonesia to normalize relations with Israel.

Unlike Indonesia, Turkey has formal ties with Israel, although the past year has seen tensions rise between the two over the Middle East conflict.

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