President Jokowi and President Erdogan Launch IT-CEPA
President Jokowi and First Lady Ibu Iriana Joko Widodo arrive in Ankara, Turkey, Wednesday (5/7) evening local time. (Photo: PR/Rahmat)
On the second day of his visit in Turkey, President Joko Jokowi Widodo is scheduled to meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Presidential Palace of the Republic of Turkey in Ankara on Thursday (6/7) afternoon.
Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi, in her statement to reporters on the occasion, said that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will make official state greeting on the visit of President Jokowi to Turkey. Furthermore, the two Heads of State will conduct a tête-à-tête meeting, followed by broader bilateral meetings. “The event will then proceed with the signing of a number of memorandum of understandings (MoUs), among others, in the fields of trade and health,” Minister Retno told reporters in the hotel lobby where President Jokowi and his entourage stay in Ankara.
According to Minister Retno, there are two memoranda of understanding to be signed. First, regarding health cooperation, and second, the launching of the Indonesia-Turkey Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IT-CEPA). The two leaders are also slated to hold a joint press statement before the state lunch.
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Minister Retno added that after the ceremony at the Turkish Presidential Palace, President Jokowi is scheduled to receive a number of Turkish CEOs in the fields of defense, shipping, and energy industries at the JW Marriot Hotel in Ankara.
Afterward, President Jokowi will attend a limited meeting with 25 Turkish CEOs in the same place. “The President will meet with the wider business community. We do not invite many people, but only large companies that already have a very high interest to cooperate with Indonesia,” Minister Retno said.
In the afternoon, President Jokowi and his entourage will head to Esenboga International Airport, Ankara, to leave for Hamburg, Germany, to attend the G20 Summit the next day.
Earlier, on Thursday (6/7) morning, President Jokowi is scheduled to start his agenda with a visit to the Ataturk Mausoleum (Anitkabir), which is the tomb of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder and the first President of the Turkish Republic. President Jokowi will lay a wreath as one of a series of state visits in Turkey.
After visiting the Anitkabir, the President will then head to Kotacepe Mosque, which is the largest mosque in Ankara, to conduct a silaturahmi (amicable meeting) with local clerics and Muslim leaders as well as Indonesian people residing in Turkey.
Also accompanying President Jokowi and First Lady Ibu Iriana Jokowi were Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Wiranto, Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi, Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung, Minister of Trade Enggartiasto Lukita, Head of the Indonesian Investment Coordinating Board Thomas Lembong, and Head of the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) Suhardi Alius. (DAN/RAH/ES) (MUR/YM/Naster).
