Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi Asks New Zealand To Open Market Access For Indonesian Tropical Fruits

Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi. (Source: Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

JAKARTA - The Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs together with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of New Zealand, Nanaia Mahuta, agreed to promote cooperation between the two countries in various fields, in the 10th Joint Ministerial Commission which was led by the two of them, which was open, friendly and constructive.

In a joint press statement after the meeting, Foreign Minister Retno said, as an important partner of Indonesia in the Pacific region, New Zealand has had a comprehensive partnership since 2018, becoming a strong foundation for the two countries to increase cooperation.

In the field of Economics, Foreign Minister Retno expressed her appreciation and gratitude for New Zealand's support in the 2nd Pacific Exposition which will take place 27-30 October 2021.

Exciting results were achieved in this event, with the number of visitors increasing by 50 percent to 11 thousand people compared to the first event. In addition, the value of business transactions in the implementation of the river reached 104 million US dollars or an increase of 40 percent.

In addition, although work is still needed to achieve the target of US$2.8 billion by 2024, the trend of bilateral trade between the two countries rose by 37 percent year-on-year to reach US$ 1.25 billion last September.

"The importance of a more balanced bilateral trade, therefore, I ask New Zealand to be able to open market access for Indonesian tropical fruit products, as well as strengthening investment and capacity building programs in agriculture and animal husbandry in Indonesia," Foreign Minister Retno said in a statement. virtual press release.

"And I hope that trade cooperation such as the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement and RCEP can be used to encourage trade and investment," he continued.

In addition to the economy, New Zealand can be a partner in the energy transition area. One of the collaborations that can continue to be developed is in the geothermal sector.

"Partnership in the energy sector has been shown, among others, through the construction of the Flores Geothermal Island in East Nusa Tenggara and the construction of a pipeline in Maluku within the framework of the New Zealand-Maluku Access to Renewable Energy Support (NZMATES)," said Foreign Minister Retno.

On the occasion, Foreign Minister Retno also said that Indonesia had great attention to countries in the Pacific during Indonesia's chairmanship of the G20. Moreover, New Zealand currently sits as Chair of APEC.

Meanwhile, regarding the issue of the Indo-Pacific region, Foreign Minister Retno invited New Zealand to partner with ASEAN in advancing the implementation of 4 priorities for cooperation, namely in the fields of maritime, connectivity, SDGs and trade-investment in the context of AOIP.

"I also welcome the increased health cooperation that has been carried out during the pandemic. So far, New Zealand has provided support to Indonesia in the form of vaccines, ventilators, rapid tests and support for the Eijkman Institute," said Foreign Minister Retno.