VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Coordinating Minister for Maritime and Investment Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan made a working visit to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on March 1–2, 2022, to explore investment opportunities and bolster relations between the countries.

Upon his arrival, Pandjaitan was welcomed by the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdul Aziz.

"I am glad that my visit to Saudi Arabia could be conducted smoothly. Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman has also welcomed investment opportunities in various aspects that we have discussed," the coordinating minister said in a written statement released in Jakarta on Thursday.

During their meeting, Pandjaitan and the Crown Prince reiterated their commitment to strengthening bilateral relations between Indonesia and Saudi Arabia and expanding investment in various sectors, such as the development of Indonesia’s new capital, Nusantara; renewable energy; environment; and other areas of mutual interest.

The coordinating minister also affirmed that the Crown Prince will reciprocate his visit and meet with President Joko Widodo in the near future.

"The Crown Prince has expressed his plan to visit Indonesia and meet President Joko Widodo, which I believe will be a good commitment to further discuss our cooperation. The Crown Prince also said that if Indonesia progresses, Saudi Arabia must also progress," he remarked.

During his visit, Pandjaitan met the Saudi Minister of Investment, Khalid Al-Falih, and CEOs of several major Saudi companies to discuss the realization of the investment plan of Saudi companies in Indonesia.

"This demonstrates Indonesia's openness to investment from any countries as long as the investment will benefit our nation. We hope this will become a good step toward enhancing Indonesia and Saudi Arabia relations in more aspects in the future," he said.

Besides focusing on the investment sector, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia also share the same stance on climate change issues faced by all nations in the world, the coordinating minister noted.

While the Saudi government has launched an initiative to reduce carbon emissions in several decades and continues to boost investment in the green energy sector, the Indonesian government is also exerting efforts to address climate change and is targeting net-zero emissions by 2060, he added. (Antaranews)