BOGOR, Indonesia — Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi will meet his Indonesian counterpart Joko Widodo on Tuesday throughout a two-day journey aiming to strengthen financial ties between the Muslim-majority nations amid heightened world geopolitical tensions.
Indonesia’s Overseas Affairs Ministry mentioned Raisi is visiting at Widodo’s invitation as Indonesia goals to hurry up its post-pandemic restoration by growing its exports.
The go to is predicted to deepen Iran’s ties with Indonesia as Tehran seeks options to the United States-led Western domination of worldwide affairs and seeks additional cooperation after the 2 nations concluded negotiations on the Indonesia-Iran Preferential Commerce Settlement this month, Indonesia’s Commerce Ministry mentioned.
The ministry’s information confirmed that commerce between Indonesia and Iran amounted to $54.1 million between January and March, whereas the bilateral commerce worth final 12 months elevated by greater than 23% to $257.2 million.
Iran was a nontraditional commerce associate for Indonesia, mentioned Johni Martha, the director of bilateral negotiations at Indonesia’s Commerce Ministry. “With this PTA, we hope to widen our market attain and export alternatives within the Center East and Persia,” he mentioned.
Southeast Asia’s largest financial system is looking for new markets to diversify its export choices and to cut back its reliance on conventional commerce companions, a lot of which have been affected by a weakened world financial system and geopolitical dangers.
In February, Raisi met along with his Chinese language counterpart Xi Jinping to hunt additional cooperation following their assembly final September in Uzbekistan, when Xi underscored China’s help for Iran.
Each nations have had tense relations with the U.S. and have sought to venture themselves as a counterweight to American energy alongside Russia.
Washington has accused Iran of promoting lots of of assault drones to Russia for its battle in Ukraine and has sanctioned executives of an Iranian drone producer. At that very same time, ties between Moscow and Beijing have grown stronger.
Whereas in Indonesia, Raisi is scheduled to put a wreath on the Kalibata Heroes Cemetery in Jakarta to honor Indonesia’s battle lifeless earlier than he meets with Widodo within the presidential palace in Bogor. They’ll witness the signing of the PTA and different agreements.
Earlier than leaving Jakarta on Wednesday, Raisi will even meet with Indonesia’s Home Speaker Puan Maharani, non secular figures and enterprise individuals. He’ll go to Jakarta’s Istiqlal Grand Mosque, the biggest in Southeast Asia, and provides public lectures in an Islamic college.
Widodo’s final journey to Iran was in 2016 whereas the final official state go to from Iran was in 2015 when Hassan Rouhani attended the fiftieth commemoration of the Asia-Africa Convention in Bandung.