Zambry pays courtesy visit to Jokowi

JAKARTA: Malaysia's Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir paid a courtesy call on Indonesian President Joko Widodo in conjunction with his official visit here on Friday.

For the 30-minute meeting at Istana Merdeka, he was accompanied by the Charge d'Affaires of the Malaysian Embassy Adlan Mohd Shaffieq and also present was Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi.

Zambry and Joko Widodo, fondly known as Jokowi, touched on various bilateral issues including border demarcation, trade, business, palm oil, the Indonesian workforce, the situation in Myanmar and ASEAN.

Speaking to reporters at the Malaysian Embassy after the visit, Zambry said he assured efforts to update the workforce recruitment and protection system were being taken, including a proposed management of the system by one ministry.

"I need to take this matter first to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and the cabinet in the near future," he said, adding that the issue needs to be resolved immediately because it often becomes an obstacle in the relationship between the two countries.

He said the two respective agreements on border and trade are being fine tuned by the ministry to be signed in the near future in order to promote the economic sector in border areas.

Regarding palm oil, Zambry said the cooperation between the two countries will be enhanced to overcome the new regulations of the European Union (EU) including via the ASEAN-EU platform so that the production of the commodity was not affected.

He also expressed confidence that ASEAN under the leadership of Indonesia and Jokowi in 2023 will make progress in building a more peaceful, inclusive and sustainable community.

During the visit, Zambry also held meetings with the general chairman of Nahdatul Ulama Yahya Cholil Staquf and the head of the Habibie Centre Management Board Prof Dr Dewi Fortuna Anwar, the Malaysian diaspora, the media and the local business community.

-- BERNAMA