INDONESIA, TURKEY REAFFIRM COMMITMENT TO BOOSTING BILATERAL TIES by Fardah

 Jakarta, April 22, 2016 (Antara) - Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi and her Turkish counterpart Mevlüt Çavusoglu at a recent meeting reaffirmed the two nations' commitment to forging closer bilateral ties, particularly to intensify economic cooperation.   
    Turkey is one of Indonesia's closest partners. The two countries have signed the Indonesia-Turkey Joint Declaration Towards an Enhanced Partnership in a New World Setting. The declaration was signed by the Indonesian and Turkish presidents in Jakarta on April 5, 2011.

         Turkish investment in Indonesia in 2014 was recorded at US$64.1 million in 29 projects, rising significantly from $11.7 million in 22 projects in 2013. However, Turkish investment in Indonesia dropped to $3.9 million in 2015.

         The value of trade between Indonesia and Turkey in 2015 stood at $1.4 billion, which is the seventh-largest in Western Europe.

         Last year's bilateral trade value represented a decrease from the total value of trade in 2014 reaching $2.47 billion, where Indonesia enjoyed a surplus of $450 million.

         Natural rubber, synthetic fiber, palm oil, and textiles are Indonesia's main exports to Turkey.

         The two nations need to work harder, given the fact that in 2010, Turkey and Indonesia had particularly set an ambitious target to boost bilateral trade to $5 billion by 2015.

         Therefore, the two ministers agreed to hold a Joint Commission Meeting of Indonesia and Turkey in the near future to discuss efforts to increase the value of bilateral trade.     
    The last Joint Commission Meeting between the two countries was held in 2008.

         "To increase the trade value between the two countries, a Joint Commission Meeting of Indonesia-Turkey will be held in the near future to discuss economic aspects," Minister Retno noted in a press statement after holding a bilateral meeting with Çavusoglu on the sidelines of the Foreign Affairs Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Turkey on April 14-15, 2016.

         The two ministers also discussed the Indonesia-Turkey Trade Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IT-CTEPA).

         In December 2015, the delegations of Indonesia and Turkey also met and discussed the terms of reference of IT-CTEPA.

         At the meeting, the two ministers also discussed the progress achieved in the cooperation between Indonesia and Turkey in the fields of strategic industries, defense communication, and the joint development of a medium-body tank, among others.

         Turkey and Indonesia have over the last few years been exploring cooperation to develop the military and defense industry in accordance with a memorandum of understanding on the defense industry signed by the two countries when former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had visited Turkey in June 2010.

         With regard to counterterrorism, both ministers exchanged information on the challenges faced by Indonesia and Turkey in tackling extremism and terrorism.

         At the meeting, the Indonesian foreign minister reaffirmed that the exchange of intelligence data should be intensified to combat terrorism.

        Turkey and Indonesia have faced similar problems concerning terrorism, as the two countries had suffered from bomb attacks several times.

        Last year, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had made a three-day state visit to Indonesia from July 30 to August 1, coinciding with the 65th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two nations.

        In fact, the Turkish-Indonesian relations can be traced back to the 12th century when Turkish Islamic scholars had visited Indonesia to spread Islamic teachings.  
   Shedding light on his country's foreign policy during a conference held at the Indonesian Resilience Institute on July 31, President Erdogan stated that Turkey and Indonesia had worked in harmony in both bilateral and multilateral platforms.

        The president believed that the strong political ties will benefit not only the two nations but also the entire world.

        During a joint press conference with President Joko Widodo, Erdogan stated that the two countries were looking forward to signing a free trade agreement, which is expected to help boost economic cooperation by utilizing their full potential.  
   "We will set up a business forum, which is important, as it can lead to the development of new projects and serve as a platform to discuss global issues," he explained.

        In 2014, the number of Turkish tourists visiting Indonesia was pegged at six thousand, while as many as 58 thousand Indonesian tourists visited Turkey.

        Earlier, Turkey had expressed interest to participate in various meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as an observer nation.

        "Turkey has requested to be part of ASEAN meetings as the organization promotes regional stability and peace, which is in line with our philosophy. Turkey has always wanted to share good relations with other countries, including our neighboring nations," Turkish parliamentary delegation head Volkan Bozkir had informed Antara in Jakarta in 2012.

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(T.F001/A/BESSR/F. Assegaf) 22-04-2016 14:29:17