Indonesia, Finland Achieve Significant Increase in Bilateral Ties
Indonesia and Finland have achieved a significant increase in bilateral ties in 2017, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi said.
The minister made the remarks at a bilateral meeting with Finnish Foreign Minister Timo Soini in Helsinki, Finland, according to a press statement of the Indonesian Foreign Ministry here on Wednesday.
Bilateral trade between Indonesia and Finland in 2017 has increased by 66 percent.
The number of Finnish tourists visiting Indonesia rose more than 21 percent. Finnair Airlines has also served flights from Helsinki to Bali.
In addition, Indonesia and Finland have a new cooperation that has been agreed upon in the field of interfaith dialogue. The first meeting of interfaith dialogue will take place in September 2018.
Furthermore, the governments of Indonesia and Finland have agreed to increase cooperation in three areas, namely forestry, renewable energy and education, and science.
The issue of visa exemption cooperation for diplomatic and official passport holders, which has been agreed upon but faces delay in its implementation, will soon be accomplished.
The Finnish government promised to respond immediately to the draft memorandum of understanding submitted by Indonesia.
Regarding Indonesia`s exports, Marsudi particularly mentioned the growing Indonesian coffee export to Finland.
Various coffee beans from various regions in Indonesia can be obtained in various supermarkets in Finland. There are at least 16 types of Indonesian coffee that have entered the Finnish market.
In addition, the Indonesian foreign minister also called for the attention of the Finnish government on Indonesian palm oil, which is still discriminated against by Europe.
During the bilateral meeting, both ministers also discussed global issues of mutual interest, including Afghanistan, Middle East, South China Sea, and recent developments in Europe.
courtasy : Antaranews.com
photo : Infonawacita.com
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