Abdullah bin Zayed chairs work of first session of joint committee between UAE, Indonesia

Abu Dhabi [UAE], November 10 (ANI/WAM): Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE's Minister of Foreign Affairs, chaired the work of the first session of the joint committee between the UAE and the Republic of Indonesia, which was held in Abu Dhabi, while the Indonesian side was chaired by Her Excellency Retno Marsudi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia.
At the beginning of his speech, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan welcomed Retno Marsudi and the delegation participating in the first meeting of the UAE-Indonesian Joint Committee.
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan praised the efforts of His Excellency Joko Widodo, President of the Republic of Indonesia, and his keenness to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries, expressing the UAE's appreciation for the support of the Indonesian government in launching the Crimean Global Climate Alliance in partnership between the two countries in 2022.
He also expressed his aspiration for the Republic of Indonesia's participation in the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28).
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan said: "The continuity and institutionalization of our joint efforts achieved success after success, leading to the signing of the comprehensive economic partnership agreement between the two countries, and its entry into force in 2023. The progress of our economic relations also contributed to achieving steady growth in levels of trade and investment, and our exchange achieved Non-oil trade "in products" reached its highest historical level last year, with a value exceeding 4 billion US dollars.
He added: "During the past 47 years, the two countries have succeeded in enhancing cooperation and coordination in various fields, the most important of which are energy and renewable energy, tourism, aviation, agriculture and food security, infrastructure, transportation, tourism, health, artificial intelligence, education and culture."
He stressed: "The Emirati-Indonesian cooperation has witnessed remarkable growth, within multilateral organizations and initiatives, including our partnership within the framework of the G20 under the presidency of Indonesia in 2022, and India in 2023, and our cooperation to support the pandemic fund at the initiative of the G20."
He appreciated the support of the Republic of Indonesia for the UAE's accession to ASEAN as a sectoral dialogue partner, and our continued cooperation to make this partnership a success, adding: "At the level of international organizations, I stress the importance of continuing mutual support for the nominations of the two countries at various levels."
At the conclusion of the meeting, the two sides signed the minutes of the meeting of the first session of the joint committee between the two countries.
The meeting was attended by Suhail bin Mohammed Faraj Faris Al Mazrouei, UAE's Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, Ahmed bin Ali Al Sayegh, UAE's Minister of State, Abdullah Salem Al Dhaheri, UAE Ambassador to the Republic of Indonesia and the ASEAN Association, Maha Barakat, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Health Affairs, and Afra Mahsh Al Hameli, Director of the Department Strategic Communication at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hussein Bagis, Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to the country, Ambassador Abdul Qadir Gilani, Director General for Asia, Pacific and African Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, and Kandra Negara, Consul General of the Republic of Indonesia to the country.
Subsequently, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan held a joint meeting with Retno Marsudi, where they discussed friendly relations and comprehensive economic partnership and ways to enhance them in a way that serves the development visions of both countries.
They also discussed the prospects for joint cooperation in a number of fields, including economic, investment, trade, energy, and others. They also reviewed bilateral cooperation in the environment and climate file within the framework of the UAE's hosting of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 28) this month in Expo City Dubai.
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Retno Marsudi Excellency the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia stressed that "COP 28" constitutes a pivotal station in the global climate action process, and provides an ideal platform for international multilateral action to enhance climate action, in order to create promising opportunities for sustainable economic growth.
The two sides also reviewed the efforts of the two countries to advance the path of joint cooperation at an accelerated pace within the framework of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement between the two countries, which entered into force recently, through which the UAE and Indonesia aim to stimulate intra-trade between the two countries to USD 10 billion within 5 years.
They discussed the partnership between the UAE and the Association of Southeast Asia (ASEAN), and Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan stressed the UAE's keenness to establish growing partnerships with ASEAN countries in a way that supports our common goals of achieving comprehensive development and sustainable economic prosperity.
In a related context, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Retno Marsudi discussed the latest developments in the Middle East region and ways to enhance the humanitarian response to civilians affected by the current crisis. (ANI/WAM)