On Monday, Jokowi held a series of bilateral meetings at Merdeka Palace in Central Jakarta, including with the prime ministers of Timor-Leste, Vietnam, Cambodia and the Cook Islands.

At the meeting with Timor-Leste Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao, Jokowi said he hoped the two countries would conclude their land border negotiations soon. He also encouraged the establishment of a special economic zone near the border to encourage more trade between the two countries.

Xanana, meanwhile, expressed appreciation for Indonesia’s support for Timor-Leste’s bid for full ASEAN membership.

During the President’s meeting with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, the two leaders discussed ways to encourage cooperation on the electric vehicle (EV) industry and sustainable fishing. The Vietnamese leader also invited Jokowi to visit Vietnam.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet came to Merdeka Palace to discuss cooperation in the agricultural sector. The agriculture ministers of both countries signed an agreement to encourage cooperation between the countries’ respective state-owned enterprises.

“This is a strategic cooperation [initiative] that is not only about exports and imports but also about food security,” Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi said after the meeting.

Jokowi and Manet also discussed the protection of Indonesian citizens who had fallen victim to online scams in Cambodia. From January to July, Indonesia recorded 777 instances of scams originating from Cambodia involving Indonesian citizens.

“The President asserted the importance of cooperation among law enforcement officers from both countries,” said Retno.

This is the first time the new Cambodian prime minister, who was appointed on Aug. 22, has attended an ASEAN summit.

Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown expressed his appreciation to Indonesia for bringing ASEAN closer to the Pacific region.

The bloc signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Pacific Islands Forum on the sidelines of the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Monday, aiming to increase cooperation between both secretariats on issues including the blue economy, the digital economy and disaster management.

Jokowi also held a bilateral meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at Merdeka Palace on Tuesday.

Trudeau, who had landed in Jakarta at noon on the same day, announced the opening of an Export Development Canada office in Jakarta, slated for Sept. 25. The office would help Canadian companies do business in Indonesia and other ASEAN member states, with the aim of growing the country’s trade in clean technology, infrastructure and agriculture with the region, according to a statement from the office of the Canadian prime minister.

From South America to Western Balkans

Minister Retno held bilateral meetings on Monday with counterparts from Peru, Serbia and Bangladesh on the sidelines of the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting at the ASEAN Secretariat building in Jakarta.

During her meeting with Peruvian Foreign Minister Ana Cecilia Gervasi Diaz, Retno invited Peruvian companies to attend this year’s Indonesia, Latin America and Caribbean Business Forum, as well as Trade Expo Indonesia, to increase trade between the two countries.

The events will be held in Jakarta on Oct. 16 and 17.

In August, Indonesia and Peru agreed to work to establish a bilateral comprehensive partnership. The two countries hope to finish negotiations on the terms of the deal by the end of 2024.

With Serbia, Retno encouraged stronger trade ties, including the establishment of a preferential trade agreement (PTA) between the two countries. Retno met with her Serbian counterpart Ivica Dacic, who also signed the ASEAN Treaty of Amity and Cooperation on the same day.

Serbia is Indonesia’s largest trading partner in the Western Balkans, and trade between the two nations was up 227 percent in the first half of this year, as compared to the same period last year.

Retno also met with Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Abdul Momen. The two signed an MoU to encourage investment in the energy sector and also agreed to speed up negotiations on their PTA to arrive at an agreement by the end of the year.

Bangladesh attended this year’s ASEAN Summit at the invitation of Indonesia, which also chairs the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA). The South Asian country also witnessed the signing of an MoU on cooperation between the ASEAN and IORA secretariats on Monday.