WNAM MONITORING: The outgoing President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo flew to Abu Dhabi on Tuesday to meet his Emirati counterpart Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (MBZ) in to secure greater trade cooperation before his upcoming resignation.
Indonesia is inching closer to President-Elect Prabowo Subianto’s inauguration in October. Shortly before his flight, Jokowi said his successor Prabowo would carry on the work that he had done to bolster Indonesia’s economic ties with the United Arab Emirates (UAE). MBZ had also hosted Prabowo on a visit to Abu Dhabi earlier this year.
“My meeting with MBZ will discuss the many things we can do to boost our strategic economic and investment partnerships. And of course, the incoming government will continue implementing this cooperation,” Jokowi told the press at Jakarta’s Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force base.
Jokowi said his state visit would also see the signing of some business deals. The president did not go into detail on what these agreements would be about.
Jokowi’s ten-year presidency has seen Indonesia getting closer to the UAE, particularly in his second term which began in 2019. The UAE became the first Middle Eastern economy to strike a comprehensive economic partnership agreement (CEPA) with Indonesia. The CEPA came into effect last year and aimed to gradually cut or eliminate duties for Indonesian goods entering the UAE.
The Cirata floating solar plant has also become the flagship Emirati investment in Indonesia. Abu Dhabi-based renewable energy giant Masdar took part in building what Indonesia claimed to be Southeast Asia’s largest floating solar plant.
Two-way trade is also on a major upward trend during Jokowi’s second term. Indonesia-UAE trade had grown significantly from almost $3.7 billion in 2019 to $5 billion in 2023. The bilateral trade figures already amounted to $1.9 billion in the first five months of 2024.
