Indonesia-Belarus Agree To Strengthen Food Security With Joint Venture Processing To Research

Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono when receiving Belarusian Foreign Minister Ryzhenkov. (Indonesian Foreign Ministry/Rafly)

JAKARTA - Indonesia and Belarus agreed to increase cooperation in various fields, including food security, by encouraging joint ventures to processing agricultural products to research to increase production results.

This was said by the Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sugiono when receiving a visit from the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, Maxim Ryzhenkov, at the Pancasila Building, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jakarta, Tuesday.

Foreign Minister Sugiono said Indonesia views Belarus as an important partner in the central and eastern European regions, not only bilaterally but also at the regional and multilateral levels.

"This partnership is built on the foundation of shared values, mutual respect, non-intervention and joint commitment to advancing national and global interests," said the Indonesian Foreign Minister in a press statement with the Belarusian Foreign Minister, Tuesday, August 5.

The visit, which became the first time for Foreign Minister Ryzhenkov, was a continuation of the meeting of Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and President Alexander Lukashenko in Minsk, Belarus, last July.

On this occasion, the two foreign ministers discussed strengthening political, security, economy, agriculture and food security, industry, education, and culture and tourism cooperation.

Foreign Minister Sugiono said the two countries were committed to expanding bilateral trade by gradually reducing market access and reducing trade barriers, increasing the trade volume of the two countries that had been achieved in recent years.

Foreign Minister Sugiono emphasized that Indonesia's cooperation has great potential because of its complementary nature and supports Indonesia's national development agenda, especially in agriculture.

Belarus has advantages in milk and meat production, in addition to potassium which can be used as raw material for fertilizers, heavy equipment and agricultural tools, as well as research in the development of agricultural products.

On the other hand, Belarus requires superior Indonesian commodities such as rubber, chocolate, palm oil and wood products.

Indonesia and Belarus agreed to strengthen food security cooperation, not only with trade, but also joint venture processing of agricultural products and agricultural equipment production, as well as research to increase agricultural products.

"In food security, Indonesia encourages broader cooperation than trade, through strengthening industry and increasing agricultural production capacity," said Foreign Minister Sugiono.

Foreign Minister Sugiono on this occasion also explained Indonesia's national development priorities under President Prabowo Subianto's Asta Cita program, including superior initiatives such as the Danantara.

In addition, the two Foreign Ministers also discussed regional and global issues of mutual concern, such as cooperation within the framework of ASEAN, the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) where Belarus became its chairman this year and BRICS.

Belarus supports the launch of the Indonesia-EAEU Free Trade Agreement which is targeted to be signed at the EAEU Summit in St. Petersburg in December.

The Foreign Minister assessed that this would pave the way for Indonesia's economic cooperation with EAEU countries. The regional economic organization, which consists of Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Armenia, and Kyrgyzstan, was founded in 2015.