REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, LONDON -- Indonesia and Costa Rica have agreed to strengthen cooperation in various fields by signing a framework cooperation agreement.

Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi and her Costa Rica counterpart Manuel Gonzalez Sanz signed the agreement at a meeting in San Jose, Costa Rica, recently, Enjay Diana, acting chief of the Economic, Finance and Development Sub-directorate of the Directorate of East and Central European Affairs at the Indonesian Foreign Ministry said on Sunday.

The signing of the agreement is a milestone in the bilateral relations between the two countries, particularly with regard to economic diplomacy which is one of the priorities in the Indonesian diplomacy, she said.

At the meeting, the two foreign ministers focused on developing cooperation in the fields of new and renewable energy, disaster mitigation, transnational organized crime and mandatory consular notification.

The cooperation in new and renewable energy is important as Indonesia has the largest geothermal sources in the world, while Costa Rica relies 90 percent of its energy needs on new and renewable energy.

In the field of disaster mitigation, the two ministers agreed to strengthen cooperation between bodies in the two countries which are responsible for handling natural disasters.

The two ministers also underscored the importance of enhancing cooperation in combating transnational organized crimes, particularly drug smuggling.

The cooperation in mandatory consular notification is aimed at improving the protection of each other's citizens.

At the meeting, the two ministries also looked into the possibility of enhancing trade and investment cooperation between the two nations.

Trade between the two countries reached US$28.4 million in 2014, with Indonesia recording a surplus of US$20.3 million.

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