Indonesia, UEA foreign ministers discuss bilateral cooperation

Nusa Dua, Bali (ANTARA) - Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi and her United Arab Emirates (UAE) counterpart, Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, discussed bilateral cooperation at a meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting (FMM) in Bali.

During the closed meeting, they discussed various bilateral issues, especially the follow-up to the visit of Indonesian President Joko Widodo to Abu Dhabi on July 1, 2022.

"Specifically, we discussed cooperation in the development of the new capital city (IKN), and other cooperation in the fields of health, aviation, and mangrove development," the Indonesian Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a written statement on Wednesday.

At the opening of the meeting, Minister Abdullah said that Indonesia was among the priority partner countries of the UAE.

Indonesia is playing an important role in the region and the world, as demonstrated by President Widodo's recent visits to Ukraine and Russia, he noted.

In addition to bilateral issues, the two foreign ministers discussed various regional and international issues of mutual interest, including the development of the situation in Ukraine and efforts to restore the food supply chain.

They also discussed issues that are currently under the attention of the United Nations Security Council (UN), considering that the UAE is currently a non-permanent member of the council.

In particular, Foreign Minister Marsudi expressed her appreciation for the UAE's support for the Indonesian presidency of the G20.

Investors and entrepreneurs from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have expressed optimism about the prospects for cooperation with Indonesia in projects, State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Minister Erick Thohir had informed earlier.

After President Widodo met with UAE investors at a hotel in Abu Dhabi, the UAE, last week, Thohir said, They are very optimistic to work together on several projects that can be synergized between the two countries.

During the dialogue, four important topics were discussed by President Widodo and UAE investors and entrepreneurs, he added.

The first was air logistics, where Indonesia and UAE can be mutually beneficial partners amid the current uncertainty in logistics and supply chains, he pointed out.

The second discussion point was the new national capital (IKN), Nusantara, where it is necessary to build a city that aligns with the rapid economic and population growth, Thohir said.

The government needs to prepare a futuristic city for residents who are currently mostly young, the SOEs Minister added.

"It is impossible that the 50 million young Indonesians to enter (to live in) old cities. Of course, with renewable technology, we must prepare a future city. The UAE itself, Abu Dhabi, is very optimistic to view this as something good because it sees other world major cities which are also the center of economic growth of each country," he said.

Third, the meeting also discussed the development of marine tourism in the context of the blue economy.

President Widodo wants blue economic development to help protect Indonesia's nature, not just exploit it, Thohir said.

UAEs National Security Advisor, Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan; G42 CEO Peng Xiao; Abu Dhabi Holding CEO, Mohamed Hassan Al Suwaidi; and LuLu Group executive director, Ashraf Ali, had attended the meeting.