Indonesia, RoK strengthen cooperation in climate change response, blue economy

Indonesian Assistant Deputy for Maritime Resource Downstreaming at the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Amalyos Chan (right), hands over a souvenir to a delegation from the RoKMinistry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries in Jakarta, Monday, March 13, 2023. (Photo: antaranews.com)

Jakarta (VNA) - The governments of Indonesia and the Republic of Korea (RoK) held an annual Joint Commission meeting on March 14 to step up maritime and technological cooperation with discussions regarding climate change mitigation, blue economy, and marine aquaculture technology.

Indonesian Acting Deputy for Coordination of Maritime Resources from the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Mochammad Firman Hidayat, stated that Indonesia has a broad and diverse blue carbon ecosystem, with the potential to reach 3.4 gigatons, or around 17% of the world's blue carbon reservoir.

He called on the two countries to intensify cooperation in the form of joint research and other collaborative projects related to the protection and expansion of blue carbon ecosystems to achieve the targets of carbon neutrality.

Regarding a sustainable blue economy, Indonesia was committed to supporting sustainable marine management that balances food security and business objectives with sustainability and its long-term impact on marine ecology, he said.

He affirmed that the RoK, which has clocked several achievements in technological progress, is considered to be the right partner for Indonesia to support the development of the blue economy.

The meeting also discussed issues, such as capacity building and technology for marine cultivation and expanding the scope of cooperation in the field of marine biology, which is also deemed necessary to support the main programme, Hidayat elaborated.

He noted that the meeting aimed at continuing and expanding the role of the RoK-Indonesia Marine Technology Cooperation Research Centre (MTCRC) as the main goal of the cooperation.

Meanwhile, Deputy for Maritime Policy from the RoK's Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Song Myeongdal, urged the Indonesian Government to continue the support that has been given in intensifying bilateral cooperation in the maritime sector./.