Indonesia, Morocco Step Up Cooperation Ahead of King's Visit

Jakarta. Indonesia and Morocco are reinforcing bilateral cooperation in tourism, energy and fisheries ahead of a visit by King Mohammed VI, a government official said on Monday (13/11).

"We had a meeting with representatives of Morocco's government, in which we discussed and explored opportunities for Moroccans to invest in Indonesia's tourism, fisheries and energy sectors," said Agung Kuswandono, deputy for natural resources and services at the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs.

Agung attended Explore Indonesia event on Sunday in the North African country's capital of Rabat to discuss strategic issues regarding investment in fisheries, marine tourism and renewable energy.

Indonesia will host King Mohammed VI on Dec. 7-8, during the Bali Democracy Forum (BDF-X) gathering, where the monarch will deliver the keynote speech.

According to Syarief Syamsuri, Indonesia's ambassador to Morocco and Mauritania, this is the first visit by a Morocco king since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1960.

"King Mohammed VI's visit will be the first by Morocco's head of government. There hasn’t been a return visit since President Sukarno's visit to Morocco in 1960. ... We are expecting stronger ties between the two countries, and we need an agreement between the president [Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo] and King Mohammed VI for future priorities in our cooperation," Syarief said, adding that the cooperation will focus on trade, investment and halal tourism.

According to a statement by the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs, the Indonesian government and the Kingdom of Morocco "will focus on developing wind and solar-based energy."

"This will be discussed further during King Mohammed VI's visit," the statement said.