Jakarta (Antara Babel) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) and First Lady Iriana arrived in Jakarta on Sunday evening after a two-day state visit to Australia.
The head of state and the first lady were greeted by Maritime Affairs Minister Luhut Binsar Panjaitan, Minister/State Secretary Pratikno, Chief of the Presidential Staff Teten Masduki, and Chief of the Indonesian Defense Forces General Gatot Nurmantyo following his arrival at the Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base.
Various meetings held during the visit yielded concrete results in the economic, political, legal, and security fields as well as closer people-to-people relations, among other things, Bey Machmudin, head of the press, media, and information bureau of the presidential secretariat, remarked.
Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi, Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita, and Head of the Investment Coordinating Board Thomas Lembong had made statements earlier in Sydney, Australia.
In the economic field, President Jokowi and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull agreed to finalize the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership in late 2017, according to Minister Marsudi.
In the political and security fields, the two countries have agreed to intensify cooperation in counterterrorism and the fight against transnational crimes and illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing.
The two nations have also agreed to strengthen cooperation through the pillar of "two-plus-two," she added.
To promote "people-to-people" relations, the president has opened Indonesian language centers respectively in Perth, Melbourne, and Canberra.
"There will be several more to be established in Australia. The establishment of the language centers should be viewed as our efforts to promote our language at the international level," she emphasized.
Some 20 thousand Indonesians study in Australia, while over three thousand Australians study in Indonesia.
In the trade field, Indonesia has managed to gain access to the herbicide and pesticide markets. Australia's herbicide and pesticide imports reached US$1.3 billion to $1.5 billion.
The Indonesian government has also allowed the import of cows weighing up to 440 kilograms (kg) per head, from a maximum of 350 kg earlier, with the objective of reducing the price of meat, Minister Lukita stated.
In the investment field, Australian businessmen have planned to invest a total of Rp39 trillion within the next three to five years, according to Lembong.
Australia is interested in investing in the areas of mining, marine tourism, infrastructure and water supply, among other things.
Based on data at the BKPM, Australian investment in Indonesia in 2016 had reached $174 million, up four percent from $167 million in 2015.
