Indonesia Set to Boost Ties With Australia, France and Saudi Arabia
Jakarta. The Indonesian government will have discussions with three countries – Australia, France and Saudi Arabia – to strengthen partnerships in the coming weeks.
Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi Retno is scheduled to accompany President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo on a state visit to Australia on Saturday (25/02). The visit will focus on mutually beneficial and respectful bilateral relations between the two countries.
The talks are expected to cover various issues, including economic affairs, investment, creative industry, cyber-security and maritime issues. Indonesia will push to broaden market access in Australia for sustainably produced goods, such as wood, palm oil and paper certified under the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (Flegt) agreement.
Bilateral Relations
French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault is meanwhile scheduled to visit Indonesia on Feb. 27-28, prior to a state visit by President François Hollande in March. Ayrault will hold discussions with his Indonesian counterpart on ways to strengthen bilateral relations.
Several issues will be covered, including economic cooperation and the finalization of the Indonesia-European Union Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IEU-CEPA) to push trade investment and broaden market access.
Indonesia and France are also expected to sign two agreements on education and diplomatic training, as well as space cooperation. The latter will involve Indonesia's National Institute of Flight and Space (Lapan) and France's Centre National d'Études Spatiales (CNES)
Historic Visit
Jokowi will also meet with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, who will be visiting Indonesia on March 1-4.
The king's visit to Indonesia will be historic, as the last visit by a Saudi king to the archipelago was that of King Faisal bin Abdulaziz in 1970.
Ties between Indonesia and Saudi Arabia have been strengthening over past two years, with discussions expanding to economic affairs, trade and investment in energy and infrastructure.
The two countries are expected to further strengthen bilateral relations during the state visit, with the signing of several agreements.
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