Indonesia eyes long-term strategic partnership with Bangladesh

Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia Anis Matta today (6 October) welcomed Bangladesh’s specific five proposals to strengthen the relations and expressed Indonesia’s interest in upgrading the existing bilateral relations to a long-term strategic partnership.

He held a bilateral meeting with State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir at his office and discussed issues of mutual interest.

Vice Minister Anis Matta is on an official visit to Bangladesh from 5-9 October at the invitation of State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Reaffirming the longstanding and growing cooperation between Bangladesh and Indonesia, both sides discussed the entire spectrum of bilateral relations including trade and investment, energy cooperation, health cooperation, disaster management, education and training, consular cooperation, as well as  issues of mutual interest at the regional and multilateral level.

Welcoming vice minister matta to Bangladesh, State Minister Humaiun Kobir put forward five specific proposal in order to deepen the existing excellent relations between Bangladesh and Indonesia.

These included restoration of visa-on arrival for Bangladeshi nationals in Indonesia, request to import more pharmaceutical products from Bangladesh to meet the growing demand in Indonesia, procurement of jute bags from Bangladesh through G2G arrangement to support the eco-friendly packaging of coffee, beans and other products of Indonesia, opening of Indonesian market for Bangladeshi potatoes and initiating an institutional cooperation in the field of disaster management. 

In this regard, he handed over a draft Memorandum of Understanding on Disaster Management to the Vice Minister of Indonesia.

Highlighting Indonesia’s position as the world’s largest halal food consumer market, State Minister Kobir stressed the need to further strengthen cooperation between the two countries in this regard.

State Minister Kobir urged to elevate the relations towards a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement.

Thanking State Minister Kobir for the invitation to visit Bangladesh and for the warm hospitality extended to him, Vice Minister Anis Matta welcomed Bangladesh’s proposals.

The meeting proposed undertaking priority joint projects over the next five to ten years in order to achieve the goal of a strategic partnership between the two countries.

Both sides explored the possibility of establishing direct flight between Dhaka and Jakarta to further enhance people-to-people connectivity.

State Minister Kobir appreciated Vice Minister Matta’s forward-looking vision for further strengthening the bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Indonesia.

He thanked the government of Indonesia for its continued support to Bangladesh at regional and international fora on issues of mutual interest.

In this regard, he sought Indonesia’s continued support for Bangladesh’s application for Sectoral Dialogue Partnership of ASEAN, membership of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), and the safe, dignified and sustainable repatriation of the forcibly displaced Rohingyas from Bangladesh to their homeland in Myanmar.

The vice minister matta assured of Indonesia’s continued support in these matters.

Concerned officials of South East Asia Wing, including high officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as Ambassadors of both Bangladesh and Indonesia based in the respective capitals, were present in the meeting.