Jokowi holds bilateral meeting with Cambodian PM

Jakarta, The Gulf Observer: President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has said that Indonesia is ready to support Cambodia’s food security infrastructure by supplying fertilizers and providing training to agriculture workers.

“Indonesia is also ready to support Cambodia’s food security infrastructure through fertilizer supply and training,” he stated during a bilateral meeting with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on Monday.

At the start of the meeting, Widodo congratulated Manet on his inauguration as Cambodia’s Prime Minister on August 22, 2023. He also expressed his gratitude for Cambodia’s support for Indonesia’s chairmanship of ASEAN this year.

He also expressed his appreciation to Cambodia for welcoming the rice procurement cooperation plan.

“I appreciate Cambodia’s welcoming Indonesia’s wish to import rice from Cambodia around 250 thousand tons of rice per year,” he said.

The meeting between the two heads of state was held ahead of the 43rd ASEAN Summit, which is scheduled to be held from September 5 to 7 in Jakarta.

Indonesian and Cambodian representatives have previously held a meeting to discuss food security cooperation.

Indonesia’s delegation, led by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Pahala N. Mansury, visited Cambodia on August 15 and 16 and met with Cambodia’s agriculture minister and high officials.

During the visit, the two countries initiated various collaborations, including the supply of Cambodian rice to Indonesia and Indonesian fertilizers to Cambodia, investment in agriculture and infrastructure, as well as scholarships and training to increase the capacity of Cambodian agricultural human resources.

Food security is a crucial issue that has become a concern of Southeast Asian countries amid the threat of global food crisis and the impact of climate change.

Ahead of the ASEAN Summit, several heads of state arrived in Indonesia on Sunday and Monday.

The leaders include Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Cambodian PM Hun Manet, Laotian PM Sonexay Siphandone, Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim, and Cook Islands PM Mark Brown.

The 43rd ASEAN Summit will be held as part of Indonesia’s chairmanship of the bloc this year.

The theme of Indonesia’s ASEAN chairmanship is “ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth”. Through the theme, Indonesia is seeking to ensure ASEAN remains relevant in facing future challenges and encourage stability and peace in the region.

Indonesia is also aiming to continuously strengthen concrete cooperation in Southeast Asia to make the region the center of global economic growth.