MAKASSAR, RAKYATSULSEL – Deputy Chairman of Commission V DPR RI, Andi Iwan Darmawan Aras (AIA) met with Senator Clément Gignac at the Canadian Parliament office in Ottawa, Canada on June 20, 2024.

DPD President Gerindra Sulael said that political, economic and socio-cultural cooperation was discussed at the Canadian Parliament office in Ottawa, Canada.

“On how to increase cooperation between the two countries in the economic sector, especially trade,” said the AIA, Friday (22/6/2024).

It is known that the Indonesia-Canada Bilateral Consultation Forum began on July 30, 1997 when the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, Ali Alatas, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada, Loyd “Axworthy, signed a declaration common on the establishment of a bilateral consultation forum.

“This forum serves as a basis for Indonesia and Canada to organize various cooperation frameworks on various issues covering political, economic and socio-cultural areas to which both countries pay equal attention,” explained the AIA.

The first meeting of the Forum took place in May 2011 in Ottawa while the second was held in Yogyakarta in June 2012.

In 2012, at the peak of the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Indonesia and Canada, the two countries signed a joint declaration on increasing bilateral consultations, which elevated the Bilateral Consultation Forum to a more strategic level .

The forum will be held regularly at ministerial level each year if time permits.

“Bilateral relations later led to a more comprehensive partnership through the launch of the Indonesia-Canada Action Plan 2014-2019 at the 4th meeting of the Bilateral Consultation Forum in August 2015 in Jakarta,” he said.

The Action Plan is a road map to improve bilateral relations between the two countries in various areas ranging from politics, defense and security, economy, development, social culture, science, technology and education to other strategic areas for Indonesia and Canada. (Suryadi/B)