Pakistan, Indonesia ink 7 MoUs
Islamabad: Pakistan and Indonesia Tuesday inked seven agreements to further bolster bilateral cooperation in diverse fields as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held “productive” talks with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto here.
President Subianto also met Field Marshal Asim Munir, the Chief of Army Staff & Chief of Defence Forces, and discussed matters of mutual interest, regional security, and bilateral defence cooperation.
“Both sides reaffirmed their resolve to further strengthen existing ties between the armed forces of the two brotherly countries,” the army said in a statement.
Later, Pakistan conferred its highest civil award, Nishan-e-Pakistan, on President Subianto in recognition of his services in promoting ties between the two nations.
It was Subianto’s maiden visit to Pakistan. The last presidential visit from Indonesia to Pakistan was undertaken by President Joko Widodo in 2018. According to state-run Radio Pakistan, the MoUs signed between the two sides include cooperation in higher education, a grant program for Indonesian state scholarships, and facilitation of business development for small and medium enterprises. It also includes collaboration between national archives, narcotics control and cooperation in combating illicit drug trafficking, cooperation in Halal trade and certification, and in the field of health.
Addressing a joint press meet after talks, Prime Minister Shehbaz assured to work collectively with the Indonesian President to achieve the targets set for collaboration in different fields. “What we have decided is to promote our bilateral trade, culture, and interact in the field of medical health, education, and vocational training,” he said. He further said that Pakistan will also send its doctors, dentists, medical professionals and other related experts to Indonesia to fulfil requirements in the field of medicine.
He said that bilateral trade of USD 4.5 billion between the two nations largely comprised palm oil
imported by Pakistan.agencies
