Abdullah bin Zayed chairs first session of UAE-Indonesia Joint Committee

ABU DHABI / WAM

H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs, has chaired the first session of the UAE-Indonesia Joint Committee, which was held in Abu Dhabi. The Indonesian side was chaired by Retno Marsudi, Minister of Foreign Affairs. In his opening remarks, Sheikh Abdullah welcomed Marsudi and the delegation participating in the first meeting of the UAE-Indonesia Joint Committee. He praised the efforts of Indonesian President Joko Widodo to strengthen the bilateral relations and expressed the UAE’s appreciation for the Indonesian government’s support for the launch of the Mangrove Alliance for Climate in partnership with the two countries in 2022. He also expressed his hope that Indonesia will have an active participation in COP28.
Sheikh Abdullah said, “Our joint efforts have achieved success after success, leading to the signing of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between the two countries, which entered into force in 2023. Our economic relations have also contributed to achieving a steady growth in trade and investments. Our non-oil trade in goods reached its highest historical level last year, with a value exceeding US$4 billion.”
He added, “Over the past 47 years, the two countries have succeeded in strengthening the cooperation in various fields, including energy, especially renewable energy; tourism, aviation, agriculture and food security, infrastructure, transportation, health, artificial intelligence, education and culture.” Sheikh Abdullah stressed,”Emirati-Indonesian cooperation has witnessed significant growth within multilateral organisations and initiatives, including our partnership as part of the G20 under the chairmanship of Indonesia in 2022 and India in 2023, and our cooperation to support the Pandemic Fund under the G20 initiative.”
He also commended Indonesia’s support for the UAE joining the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as a sectoral dialogue partner, and the ongoing cooperation to ensure the success of this partnership. He added, “In international organisations, I reiterate the importance of continuing mutual support for the two countries’ nominations at all levels.” At the end of the meeting, the two sides signed the minutes of the first session of the Joint Committee.
The meeting was attended by Suhail bin Mohammed Faraj Faris Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure; Ahmed bin Ali Al Sayegh, Minister of State; Abdulla Salem Al Dhaheri, UAE Ambassador to the Republic of Indonesia and ASEAN; Maha Barakat, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Health; Afra Mahash Al Hameli, Director of the Strategic Communications Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Husin Bagis, Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia; along with a number of officials.
Following the Committee’s meeting, the UAE Foreign Minister held a joint meeting with his Indonesian counterpart to discuss means to further develop bilateral relations and the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement.
They also discussed joint cooperation in a number of areas, including economic, investment, trade, energy, and others. They also reviewed bilateral cooperation on the environment and climate in the context of the UAE’s hosting of COP28 this month. Sheikh Abdullah and Marsudi affirmed that COP28 provides an ideal platform for multilateral international action to enhance climate action to create promising opportunities for sustainable economic growth.
The two sides also reviewed the efforts of the two countries to promote joint cooperation within the framework of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement between the two countries. The UAE and Indonesia aim to increase the bilateral trade between the two countries up to US$10 billion within 5 years.
They also discussed the partnership between the UAE and the ASEAN, where Sheikh Abdullah highlighted the UAE’s eagerness to consolidate partnerships with ASEAN countries in a manner that supports shared objectives of achieving comprehensive development and sustainable economic prosperity. In a related context, Sheikh Abdullah and Marsudi discussed the latest developments in the Middle East region and ways to enhance humanitarian response to civilians affected by the current crisis.