REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Indonesia and Ethiopia have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the establishment of a joint consultative forum to serve as a mechanism to strengthen bilateral cooperation.
According to a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia received by Antara here on Saturday, the MoU was signed at the end of January when Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno L. P. Marsudi visited Ethiopia and met President Mulatu Teshome.
It was a significant occasion because it was the first visit made by a minister of foreign affairs of Indonesia to Ethiopia since diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in 1964.
"The MoU is aimed at strengthening bilateral cooperation, especially in the economic field. It is also to optimize the role of Jakarta as 'the capital' of the ASEAN region and that of Addis Ababa as 'the capital' of Africa," the Director of Africa of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia, Lasro Simbolon, said.
From February 9 to 13, the Director General for Asia and Oceania of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, Genet Teshome, was on a visit to Indonesia to explore the possibility of the opening of the Ethiopian Embassy in Jakarta, as well as to follow up on the agreement reached between the two foreign affairs ministers at the meeting in Addis Ababa.
During the visit, Indonesia and Ethiopia held a meeting, which was attended by a number of business stakeholders, with the theme of "Optimizing the Economic Potentials of Indonesia and Ethiopia."
At the meeting, Teshome explained Ethiopia's progress in various fields, especially in economics.
He invited Indonesian businesspersons to explore the potential and economic opportunities in Africa, especially in Ethiopia.
He further noted that Indonesia should to strengthen its presence in Ethiopia, following the aggressive steps taken by other Asian countries in exploring various opportunities in the country.
Moreover, Indonesian Ambassador to Ethiopia Imam Santoso confirmed the readiness of the Indonesian Embassy in Addis Ababa to assist Indonesian businesspersons who come to Ethiopia for trade and to make investments.
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