President Jokowi and Cambodian PM Discuss Bilateral Cooperation
Melbourne, The Gulf Observer: Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) engaged in a bilateral meeting with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet in Melbourne, Australia, on Tuesday, aiming to strengthen the diplomatic ties between Indonesia and Cambodia as they celebrate 65 years of diplomatic relations in 2024.
During the meeting, President Jokowi highlighted three key issues to enhance cooperation between the two nations. Firstly, he emphasized the need to increase trade and investment collaboration by focusing on developing connectivity and infrastructure in both air and sea sectors. President Jokowi affirmed the readiness of Indonesian state-owned enterprises (SOEs) to contribute as key partners in the railway and infrastructure sectors, underscoring the importance of fostering interactions between business sectors to strengthen trade and investment.
Secondly, President Jokowi commended Cambodia’s support in handling Indonesian citizens who fell victim to human trafficking. He stressed the necessity of intensifying cooperation in preventing and addressing human trafficking crimes, urging the immediate implementation of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the Eradication of Transnational Crime in 2023. The President emphasized the need for swift action, especially in exchanging intelligence information and enhancing the police capacity of both countries.
Lastly, the leaders discussed cooperation in the field of food security, including rice imports from Cambodia. President Jokowi encouraged the timely renewal of the MoU on Rice Trade Cooperation and the MoU on the Establishment of a Counter-Trade Mechanism to determine the price and quantity of imported rice. He also urged the implementation of the Agricultural MoU, particularly focusing on enhancing agricultural management capacity, irrigation, and investments in rice processing and storage.
President Jokowi expressed gratitude for Cambodia’s support during Indonesia’s Chairmanship of ASEAN in 2023 and emphasized the importance of implementing the ASEAN agreement through the five-point consensus (5PC) to address the Myanmar crisis. Indonesia pledged ongoing support for Laos’ chairmanship this year, especially in implementing the 5PC to find a resolution for the Myanmar crisis within the ASEAN framework.
