Indonesian President Joko Widodo (right) meets with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen in Jakarta on April 24 (Source: Antaranews) Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, who gave a statement regarding the bilateral meeting, said that the two leaders exchanged ideas on how to enhance bilateral cooperation between the two countries.
President Widodo stressed the importance of multilateral vaccine support for equal access to vaccines for all countries and called on Cambodia to strengthen cooperation in pharmaceuticals, medicines and medical equipment, she said.
The launch of Dynamic Argon Joint Venture Co., Ltd. which is the result of cooperation between one of the pharmaceutical companies in Indonesia and its partners in Cambodia in 2019, is a good start for health cooperation between the two countries. Therefore, President Widodo requested PM Hun Sen's support for the expansion of Indonesian state-owned and private investments in pharmaceuticals and medical equipment in Cambodia.
Regarding economic cooperation for economic recovery, President Widodo encouraged efforts to increase the trade volume between Indonesia and Cambodia, among others, by launching direct shipping lines between the two countries where Pelindo II has been exploring the plan.
In relation to investment, the President called for Cambodia’s support so that Indonesian state-owned and private companies can become major development and investment partners in Cambodia, in the fields of railway systems, train cars, construction of floating power plants, tugboats, and infrastructure projects in Cambodia.
The two leaders also discussed defence cooperation in which President Widodo believed that cooperation in this area still needs to be improved. Some of these include expanding Army-to-Army talk cooperation and encouraging improved education and training with military personnel of both countries.
Lastly, the President conveyed the need for synergy between Indonesia, Cambodia, and Thailand as in 2022 the three Southeast Asian countries will become chairs in a number of organisations. Indonesia became the Chair of the G-20, Cambodia became the Chair of ASEAN, and Thailand became the Chair of APEC./.
VNA
