President Jokowi, Malaysian Foreign Minister Discuss Bilateral, International Issues

President Jokowi meets with Foreign Minister of Malaysia at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta, Tuesday (02/06). (Photo by: BPMI of Presidential Secretariat)

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo Tuesday (02/06) received a courtesy call from Malaysian Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammad Hasan at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta, accompanied by Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi.

“First, regarding border issue with one commitment, we will try to solve the unresolved shortly, be it land border or maritime border because the two leaders in June last year have agreed to immediately settle it,” Retno said in her press statement following the meeting.

Retno pointed out that during the meeting, they discussed the right to education and protection of Indonesian migrant workers.

“The leaders of the two countries have agreed to create a special bilateral mechanism for migrant workers, so I gave a reminder that the special bilateral mechanism needs to be implemented soon,” he said.

Retno further said that the meeting discussed economic cooperation between Indonesia and Malaysia, adding that the two countries have a strong commitment to strengthening economic cooperation.

“Our economic and investment relations with Malaysia are quite strong, one of the strongest among ASEAN countries, and we also discussed how to optimize the economy around the borders,” she said, adding that they also discussed the troika mechanism in ASEAN and international issues regarding the situation in Gaza.

“Yesterday, we both spoke up about oil palm and the Deforestation Regulation of the European Union as well as Gaza. We always share the same stance,” she said.

According to Retno, Indonesia and Malaysia will remain committed to strengthening their relations.

“The President said that our commitment to strengthening ties between the two countries is strong. Likewise, the Prime Minister of Malaysia as a nextdoor neighbor has no choice but to strengthen cooperation,” she remarked. (BPMI of Presidential Secretariat/UN) (DH/LW)