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Iran, Indonesia Sign 11 Cooperation Documents

By Nigar Bayramli May 24, 2023

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Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who is on a two-day visit to Jakarta, attended a joint press conference with his Indonesian counterpart Joko Widodo in Merdeka Palace on May 23. / MEHR News Agency

Iranian and Indonesian officials signed 11 memorandums of understanding (MoUs) and documents to boost the level of cooperation between the two countries.

The documents were signed by Iranian ministers and deputy ministers and their Indonesian counterparts in the fields of preferential trade, visa waiver, cultural exchanges, pharmaceutical products, science, technology, and oil and gas, Iran's Mehr news agency reported on May 23.

The cooperation MoUs and documents were signed in the presence of the Iranian and Indonesian presidents.

At a joint press conference with his Indonesian counterpart Joko Widodo, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who is on a two-day visit to Jakarta, hailed the good Iran-Indonesia interactions in various political, economic, commercial, regional, and international fields in the 70 years, since the establishment of diplomatic relations.

Raisi said that the signing of several cooperation documents shows the determination of the two countries to develop relations in all fields.

Referring to the goal to bring the trade volume of the two countries to $20 billion, the Iranian president said, "Of course, the two countries have decided to carry out their exchanges with national currencies."

This will allow trade between the two countries to continue despite possible difficulties in securing currency commonly used in international trade, such as US dollars.

He said cooperation and communication with neighbouring and aligned Muslim countries is the priority of the Iranian foreign policy, and noted, "Developing relations with Indonesia, as one of the important and effective countries in Asia and the world, which is a member of important regional and international organisations, is very important for Iran".

The Iranian president also held meetings with the President of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Speaker of the People’s Representative Council of Indonesia, and, the Speaker of the Indonesian People's Consultative Assembly.

He also held discussions with Indonesian and Iranian businessmen during his two-day trip.

Trade between Indonesia and Iran amounted to $54.1 million during the first three months of this year. Last year, the bilateral trade value increased by more than 23 percent to $257.2 million.

Motorcycles, vehicle parts, fatty acid industrial monocarboxylates and wood fibre are among the main goods shipped from Indonesia to Iran. Meanwhile, major Iranian shipments to Indonesia include dates and grapes, carbonates and vegetable alkaloids, among many other products.