Jakarta (VNA) – Indonesia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Sugiono and his New Zealand counterpart Winston Peters co-chaired the 12th meeting of the Indonesia-New Zealand Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC) in Jakarta on June 13, marking an important step to strengthen bilateral relations and realise the goals outlined in the 2025-2029 Action Plan.
The two FMs emphasised their commitment to strengthening comprehensive partnerships within the framework of the action plan at the meeting.
Sugiono expressed his appreciation for the New Zealand government’s support for the Free Nutritious Meals programme initiated by Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto.
The 12th JMC meeting focused on evaluating the first year of the implementation of the 2025–2029 Action Plan, agreed at the 11th JMC in Auckland, New Zealand, as well as discussing future cooperation programmes.
The cooperation between Indonesia and New Zealand covers several fields, including economy, trade, investment, and education.
In the economic sector, the ministers agreed to encourage more balanced and sustainable trade to achieve the bilateral trade target of 6 billion NZD (3.62 billion USD) by 2029.
During the meeting, the two sides also discussed cooperation between communities, with the signing of the Arrangement on Education Cooperation expected to further support the development of Indonesia's human resources, especially the younger generation.
Collaboration in sports was also explored at the meeting, including in athlete capacity development.
Besides education and sports cooperation, Indonesia and New Zealand also agreed on a mutual recognition arrangement (MRA) for Halal standards, which would strengthen cooperation in the Halal industry and meet the needs of consumers in both countries.
Sugiono and Peters also emphasised the importance of bolstering collaboration in the Pacific, including through regional forums such as the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) and the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF)./.
