Speaker Of The Timor-Leste Parliament And Puan Maharani Discuss The 'Bilateral Investment Treaty'

Chairperson of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Puan Maharani (Photo from DPR Doc)

JAKARTA - The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Puan Maharani and the Chair of the Parliament of the Republic of Timor Leste, Aniceto Guterres Lopes, held a bilateral meeting at the DPR Building.

A number of important things were read at the meeting between the parliamentary chairmen of the two neighboring countries, including Puan's proposal on the Bilateral Investment Treaty.

"I encourage the two countries to immediately establish a Bilateral Investment Treaty to create a more conducive investment climate and encourage more Indonesian investment in Timor-Leste," said Puan at Nusantara III Building, Parliament Complex, Senayan, Jakarta, Tuesday, August 23.

The proposal begins with data submitted by Puan that the value of Indonesia's investment in Timor Leste currently reaches USD 818 million, especially in the banking, oil and gas and telecommunications sectors.

"I also want to appreciate Timor-Leste's trust in Indonesian companies for investment and infrastructure cooperation in Timor-Leste," said Puan.

In addition to the investment agreement, Puan also encourages cooperation between the business communities of the two countries that are also experiencing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is because the number of business entities owned by Indonesian entrepreneurs in Timor-Leste has declined due to the pandemic.

"For this reason, we must do trade ease together, including by encouraging business missions and promotions between the two countries and encouraging ease of trade at the border," said Puan.

In addition to the economic field, Puan also discussed a number of issues on the topic of regional cooperation and inter-parliamentary cooperation. It is important to note that the Indonesian Parliament and the Timor-Leste Parliament have interacted in a number of parliamentary forums such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union.

“The DPR RI views parliamentary diplomacy as important bilaterally, regionally and globally. Parliamentary diplomacy needs to be carried out to complement intergovernmental diplomacy,” said Puan, who last met Guterres Lopes at the 144th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) General Assembly in Bali last March.

During the close and friendly meeting, Puan felt happy for Guterres Lopes' visit, considering that this year is the 20th anniversary of Indonesia's diplomatic relations with Timor-Leste which were established on 2 July 2002.

"I am pleased to hear that President Ramos-Horta's visit on July 19, 2022 to Indonesia has resulted in various important agreements for both countries," said Puan, who invited Guterres Lopes to a banquet in the evening.

Meanwhile, Guterres Lopes also extended an invitation to Puan to visit Timor Leste.

"We hope that in the future there will be inter-parliamentary cooperation, including between the secretariat of the DPR RI and the Timor Leste Parliament," said Guterres Lopes about one of the points contained in the memorandum of understanding (MoU).