The governments of Indonesia and France have pledged to strengthen cooperation in the fields of counter-terrorism, defence and energy.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo (R) and French President Francois Hollande
Indonesian President Joko Widodo on March 29 held a meeting with his French counterpart Francois Hollande to discuss efforts on how to elevate bilateral ties to a new height.
The two sides gave a strong commitment to combating terrorism and exchanged views on the importance of scraping xenophobia.
Speaking to the press after the meeting, President Widodo said that two countries are cooperating in a number of international issues, including the Palestine issue, the UN’s peace keeping force and the fight against extremism and terrorism.
The leaders also agreed to enhance defence cooperation, including improving French skills for Indonesian military personnel.
President Widodo said that Indonesia and France will boost partnership in two new fields - maritime and creative economy.
The two countries inked five agreements in defence, sustainable development, tourism, science and worker exchange. France also pledged a 2.6 billion USD investment in Indonesia’s energy, infrastructure and retail sectors.
Meanwhile, President Hollande said that the two countries have enjoyed sound defence cooperation, highlighting that traffic infrastructure will be a drive to boost tourism in the Southeast Asian country.
Hollande is the first French President to visit Indonesia in the past three decades after President Francois Miterrand’s visit in 1986.
VNA
