Indonesia, India to uplift bilateral ties

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Indonesian President Joko Widodo and visiting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed on Wednesday to expand bilateral relations into comprehensive strategic partnership with MoU on bilateral cooperation in wider arrays signed.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Modi after a tete-a-tete meeting, Widodo said that the two nations were now strategic partners emphasized in economy and trade sectors.

Widodo said the upgraded relations "would not only bring benefit to bilateral ties, but also to regional stabilization and prosperity."

The initiative to uplift the bilateral relations was ultimately marked with the document renewals on two nation's existing cooperation in defense and medical drug productions, Widodo said at the presidential palace.

Indonesia's President Joko Widodo (R) watches as India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivers an address at a joint press conference at the presidential palace in Jakarta, Indonesia, May 30, 2018. /VCG Photo

The renewal documents were part of 15 MoU documents signed between the two countries, covering sectors like outer space exploration, train transport, science and technology, cultural and tourism.

Widodo added that Indonesia and India also agreed to make bilateral economic cooperation more open with negotiations on a more comprehensive economic partnership, which is expected to be completed later this year.

In his speech, Indian Prime Minister Modi said that Indian and Indonesian governments have agreed to maximize potentialities from bilateral trade with a target of 50 billion US dollars of two-way trade by 2025 from 18 billion dollars last year.

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency