Jakarta –

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) held bilateral meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Issues of economic cooperation and socio-political conditions in the ASEAN region were discussed.

The meeting was held at the Rihga Royal Hotel, Hiroshima, Japan, Saturday (5/20/2023). During the meeting, Jokowi and Trudeau discussed the economic cooperation agreement between Indonesia and Canada.

“We request Your Excellency’s support regarding the completion of the CEPA agreement between Indonesia and Canada, making investments in Canadian pension funds that focus on the development of the Indonesian capital, the development of financing mechanisms for feasibility study for the project Green field in Indonesia,” Jokowi said in a press release from the Press, Media and Information Office of the Presidential Secretariat.

A number of ministers accompanied Jokowi during the meeting with Trudeau. Accompanying ministers included Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto, Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, Minister for Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi, Minister for State-Owned Enterprises Erick Thohir, Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung and the East Asia Director of the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Foreign Affairs Santo Darmosumarto.

The meeting also discussed the issue of accelerating the realization of green airport development in North Kalimantan. Jokowi and Trudeau also discussed the exploration and enrichment of rare earth metals and the formation of a bilateral working group.

Apart from that, Jokowi also expressed his appreciation for Canada’s support which has been instrumental in helping Indonesia’s energy transition.

“I hope the $20 billion financial support can be realized soon, but not in the form of debt,” Jokowi said.

The issue of food security was also addressed. Jokowi pushed for the implementation of an agreement between Indonesian state-owned enterprises and the Canadian Commercial Corporation regarding the supply of potash and wheat.

During the meeting, President Jokowi and Prime Minister Trudeau also discussed ASEAN, including the situation in Myanmar. Jokowi said the ASEAN-Canada summit would be held in September 2023 in Indonesia.

“See you in Jakarta, Prime Minister Trudeau,” Jokowi said.

Watch the video “Jokowi meets Japanese Prime Minister and discusses MRT and IKN”:

(yang/day)