Thursday Morning Arriving In Jakarta After A Short Visit To Abu Dhabi

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) arrived at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base, Jakarta on Thursday, July 18 morning, at around 04.15 WIB, after making a state visit in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Under the plane's stairs, the TNI Commander General Agus Subiyanto and National Police Chief General Pol Listyo Sigit Prabowo welcomed the arrival of President Jokowi, according to a written statement from the Press Bureau of the Presidential Secretariat of the Republic of Indonesia.

Previously, President Jokowi departed from Zayed International Airport, Abu Dhabi at around 14.55 local time.

It appears that the President's departure to the country includes the Minister of Energy and UAE Infrastructure Suhail Al Mazrouei, the Indonesian Ambassador to the UAE Husin Bagis, and the UAE Ambassador to the Republic of Indonesia Abdullah Salem Al Dhaheri.

On the flight to Jakarta, President Jokowi was accompanied by Minister of State Secretary Pratikno, Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi, Minister of Public Works and Public Housing Basuki Hadimuljono, and Minister of State-Owned Enterprises Erick Thohir.

Also participated in the Director General of Protocol and Consular Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs/Head of State Protocol Andy Rachmianto, Presidential Military Secretary Major General Rudy Saladin, Paspampres Commander Major General TNI Achiruddin, and Deputy for Protocol, Press and Media of Presidential Secretariat M Yusuf Permana.

During his visit to Abu Dhabi, President Joko Widodo held a bilateral meeting with President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (MBZ) to increase cooperation between the two countries, especially in the economic sector.

Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi in her statement in Abu Dhabi explained that the UAE is one of Indonesia's important partners in the Middle East.

"In the last 10 years, relations between the two developing countries have developed rapidly. From a trade perspective, for example, there has been a significant increase. The trade figures in 2015 to 2023 have increased by 52 percent, and in 2023 it will reach 3.282 billion (US dollars)," said the Foreign Minister.

In terms of investment, there has also been a significant increase. Foreign Minister Retno said that the achievement of relations in the past decade has received attention from President Jokowi in bilateral meetings.

"This strong relationship will be the capital for the future government to continue to strengthen cooperation between the two countries," said Retno.

In addition to holding meetings in the form of plenary sessions, the two leaders also met tete-a-tete. Foreign Minister Retno explained that the discussion at the meeting focused on investment cooperation.

Several things that are the focus of the discussion include plans for cooperation in the development of financial centers in the capital city of the archipelago (IKN). This cooperation plan is accommodated in the MoU which was signed by the Minister of PUPR with the Dubai International Financial Center (DIFC).