Indonesia, Russia to Boost Economic Cooperation

President Jokowi meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin, in Singapore on Wednesday (14/11). (Photo by: BPMI Presidential Secretariat)

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo held a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on increased economic cooperation on the sidelines of the 33^rd ASEAN Summit, at the Suntec Convention Center, Singapore, Wednesday (11/14).

The President wants the trade target of USD5 billion for the two countries to increase in 2020, compared to the current trade value of USD2.5 billion.

“I welcome the increase in our trade relations. The data on bilateral trade shows an increase by 14.34 percent in 2017 or valued at USD2.52 billion. I hope the trade target of USD5 billion will be achieved in 2020,” the President said, adding that in order to materialize it, a number of points were conveyed by President Putin, one of which is regarding positive support for the export of Indonesian Crude Palm Oil.

“We are asking for support for promotions and positive campaigns for Indonesian CPO,” asked the President, while encouraging the Russian government to increase the volume of imports for Indonesian fishery products. In addition, exports of tropical fruits from Indonesia are also sought to be improved.

In the meeting, President Jokowi also expressed his views on Indonesia’s trade with economic cooperation of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and said that Indonesia intends to increase trade with the EAEU.

“I hope Russia as Chair of the EAEU can help speed up the collective decisions for the start of free trade agreement negotiations  between Indonesia and EAEU, primarily to respond to the submission procedures that we have submitted since 2017,” said the President.

Previously, as the ASEAN-Russia dialogue coordinator, President Jokowi had delivered a statement on behalf of ASEAN regarding the development of ASEAN-Russia cooperation at the ASEAN-Russia meeting in Singapore on Wednesday (11/14).

“Our meeting today marks an increase in ASEAN-Russia relations as a strategic partner,” the President said.

Through the partnership, in the future, ASEAN and Russia are deemed necessary to further enhance their cooperation by completing all work programs that have been set out in the 2016-2020 ASEAN-Russia Action Plan, strengthening ASEAN-Russia communication, coordination and consultation at various levels, and becoming a solution to various world problems.

In the economic field, the President revealed that trade in ASEAN and Russia in 2017 had increased by almost 40 percent. The volume of trade reached USD16.7 billion while the value of investment in ASEAN reached USD40 million

“However, we need to continually strive to increase the value of trade and investment by utilizing various potential economic cooperation that exists and encourage the interaction of entrepreneurs,”the President added.

As for other fields, ASEAN also encourages increased cooperation in the fields of disaster management, education, culture, youth, tourism, and health. The President requested that the ASEAN and Russian agreements in disaster management be resolved immediately.

“In this regard, we need to encourage the finalization of the ASEAN-Russia Agreement in disaster management immediately,” the President said.

When it comes to resolving security related issues and stability in a number of regions, the President raised an issue on the latest developments in the peace process on the Korean Peninsula. However, on the other hand, the problems related to Palestine and Syria are still underway. Therefore, active cooperation is needed from ASEAN member countries and also partner countries so as to be able to contribute to address these problems.

“To this end, I am of the opinion that the ASEAN-Russia partnership can contribute to resolving problems at the regional and global levels,” said the President.

Concluding his statement, President Jokowi expressed his gratitude for the support and assistance provided by Russia and other ASEAN countries. As we  may be aware of, a number of friendly countries provided assistance to Indonesia following the recent earthquake and tsunami disaster that hit Central Sulawesi, Indonesia.“Your solidarity helps our people to bounce back with new hopes,” the President concluded.

Translated by: Muhardi

Edited by: Mia Medyana B.