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Indonesia, Turkey pledge stronger economic ties
Indonesia and Turkey will celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations in 2025.
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Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (left) speaks to the media as Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi listens prior to their trilateral meeting with ASEAN on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Jakarta on Saturday, July 15, 2023. (Reuters/Pool/Tatan Syufiana)
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ndonesian Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met for bilateral talks on Saturday on the sidelines of a series of ASEAN high-level meetings in Jakarta, with both nations committing for stronger bilateral ties on economy and security issues.
As Indonesia and Turkey will celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations in 2025, the cooperation should continue to contribute to the wellbeing of both nations and the world, Retno said.
Both countries are aiming to resume talks about a “high-level strategic council”, a forum for their leaders to regularly discuss strategic bilateral, regional and multilateral issues. Retno extended President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s invitation to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for a bilateral visit to Jakarta.
“The state visit can be used to convene the first high-level strategic council to ensure concrete and impactful results,” Retno said during a joint press briefing in Jakarta on Saturday.
Economy was on the agenda of the bilateral meeting, with Indonesia welcoming an increase of trade between the two countries, which grew to nearly US$3 billion last year, a 29-percent increase compared to the previous year.
Retno also welcomed the growth of business-to-business relations, ranging from electric bus manufacturing to wood processing. The Indonesian minister invited more Turkish business to invest in the Southeast Asian country.
Both countries were committed to expedite the negotiation of the Indonesia-Turkey Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which was launched in 2017.
