Pakistan, Indonesia agree to intensify bilateral collaboration

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Indonesia on Thursday agreed to intensify bilateral collaboration  for the mutual benefit of their two peoples and for supporting initiatives for the projection of rightful image of the Muslim faith and the Ummah.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi met with the Foreign Minister of  Indonesia, Retno Marsudi, on the sidelines of the OIC Council of Foreign  Ministers (CFM) meeting in Jeddah.  According to a Foreign Office press statement, Foreign Minister Qureshi  conveyed his felicitations on the re-election of President Joko Widodo.

He noted that Pakistan and Indonesia enjoyed a long-standing relationship  based on religious and cultural affinities, mutual trust, and commonality of  views on a number of regional and international issues.

Recalling President Widodo’s successful visit to Pakistan in 2018, Foreign  Minister Qureshi termed it as a high point in bilateral relations. It was agreed  that the second round of policy planning dialogue was a fruitful exercise in  exchanging views on a wide range of issues and should be followed up by  the next round in 2019.

During the meeting, Foreign Minister Qureshi expressed keen desire to  further expand bilateral economic engagement. Mentioning the current  volume of bilateral trade at US$3 billion, the Foreign Minister observed  that given the economic complementarities, the trade volume could be  enhanced substantially.

He expressed Pakistan’s appreciation for Indonesia’s opening of 20  additional tariff lines in the Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA).

The Foreign Minister of Pakistan highlighted the prospects of joint  ventures with Indonesia in the field of defence production. Both Ministers  also agreed to hold the inaugural meeting of the Joint Committee on  Defence Cooperation in Pakistan soon.

Foreign Minister Qureshi sought Indonesia’s continued support for  Pakistan’s bid to become ‘Full Dialogue Partner’ of ASEAN.

The Indonesian Foreign Minister lauded Pakistan’s role in regional  security and stability. She also apprised of the initiatives Indonesia,  envisaged to help promote the cause of peace and stability in the  neighbourhood.

The two sides agreed to increase the frequency of high level bilateral  exchanges to maintain the current momentum in the growth of bilateral  cooperation in diverse fields.