Hanoi (VNA) – Indonesia and France are boosting cooperation in maritime affairs and aquaculture, marked by the signing of a Letter of Intent (LOI) on the establishment of bilateral maritime dialogue, a joint statement on the development of marine and fisheries cooperation programmes, and a LOI on the development of eco-friendly seaports in Indonesia.

Indonesian Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Sakti Wahyu Trenggono said on June 9 that Indonesia’s seafood export to France reached 7,680 tonnes worth 31.87 million USD last year.

He hoped that the French Government will help Indonesia early harvest and ship over 500 kinds of fishery products to the European Union without having to wait for the conclusion of other negotiations in the Indonesian-European Union Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IEU-CEPA).

Trenggono said the Indonesian Government is always committed to eliminating illegal fishing activities.

Minister of Overseas Territories of France Annick Girardin, for her part, said the two countries will share information related to the prevention of illegal fishing and harmonisation of actions in the field./.

VNA