VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuolu paid a visit to Jakarta on Tuesday to meet his Indonesian counterpart, Retno L. P. Marsudi, and discuss President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's planned return visit to Indonesia in 2021.

Erdogan plans to visit next year to reciprocate Indonesian President Joko Widodo's visit to Turkey in 2017, Marsudi notified the press.

The return visit will offer the necessary momentum to strengthen bilateral relations between Indonesia and Turkey, Marsudi noted in a joint press conference with the Turkish foreign minister.

Çavuolu affirmed that both nations would likely form a High-Level Strategic Council as a concrete step to intensify bilateral cooperation.

The High-Level Strategic Council will likely be inaugurated when Erdogan visits Indonesia, he noted.

The plan to form a strategic council is still being deliberated by the foreign ministers of both nations.

"We are currently exploring the formation of a High-Level Strategic Council that will serve as a forum for the leaders of the two countries to regularly discuss various bilateral, regional, and multilateral issues of common interest," Marsudi remarked after the meeting with her Turkish counterpart.

Çavuolu's, the first visit by Turkey's foreign minister on a bilateral basis in 15 years, coincided with the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Indonesia and Turkey this year.

Both ministers also explored potential cooperation in several fields and discussed various regional and international issues, including on Palestine and bolstering cooperation between Turkey and the ASEAN.

Marsudi emphasized the importance of strengthening multilateralism to overcome the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It is important for the two countries to continue to support multilateral vaccines and ensure fair and equitable access for all," she affirmed.

Meanwhile, Çavuolu stated that Indonesia and Turkey, as predominantly Muslim countries, still face the threat of Islamophobia - hatred of Islam. Hence, both nations must work together to tackle such challenges, he emphasized.

Marsudi remarked that Indonesia and Turkey will jointly strengthen the Islamic Cooperation Organization (OIC) to solve various problems in the Islamic world and for boosting public welfare.

The Turkish foreign ministers were later scheduled to pay a courtesy call on President Joko Widodo. (Antaranews)