President Jokowi, PM Turnbull Push IA CEPA to be Completed this Year

President Jokowi and Prime Minister Turnbull are in a meeting in Hamburg, Germany, on Friday (7/7)

The meeting between President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has affirmed the commitment to complete the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IA-CEPA) by the end of 2017.

“Both leaders have mentioned that they  have had seven rounds of negotiation. They continue to push the negotiation to be completed by the end of this year,” Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi told the reporters in Hamburg, Germany, on Friday (7/7).

Retno, along with a number of ministers who accompanied the President in the meeting led by Prime Minister Turnbull, said that it will be followed by the launching of  partnership between the two countries next year. “The point is that the partnership proves the closeness and tightness in relations between the two countries,” Retno added.

If the CEPA can be concluded in 2017, the Minister added, the two countries will need a strategic comprehensive partnership in 2018.

Therefore, Prime Minister Turnbull also invited President Jokowi to attend the ASEAN-Australia Summit to be held in March 2018.

“In Syaa Allah, President Jokowi confimed that he will attend the event if there is no other official duties,” Retno said.

Counter-terrorism

In addition to IA CEPA, President Jokowi and Prime Minister Turnbull also discussed counter-terrorism cooperation.

“They spent quite a while to discuss the situation in Marawi. Australia also praised Indonesia’s  active role in supporting and enhancing cooperation in combating terrorism,” Retno firmly said.

According to Retno, Prime Minister Turnbull also keeps track of the results of trilateral meeting between Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines which was initated by Indonesia. The Prime Minister asked Indonesian counterpart about the results of that meeting.

“Thus, we explained the results of the trilateral meeting,” Retno said while adding that Indonesia, New Zealand, Australia, the Philippines, and Brunei Darussalam will also enhance the cooperation on counter-terrrorism.

“To conclude it, at sub-regional level, we will establish a counterterrorism cooperation to be implemented by the end of this month,” Retno said.

(EN/AS/ES) (RA/MMB/YM/Naster)