VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOInews, Jakarta: Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi received the Minister of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation of the Republic of Tanzania, Stergomena Lawrence Tax, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jakarta. During the meeting, the two Ministers discussed a number of issues in bilateral cooperation between the two countries, ranging from trade, investment, health and development cooperation.

"We agreed to explore the possibility of establishing a Preferential Trade Agreement," Retno said in a joint statement after the meeting, Thursday (22/6).

Indonesia and Tanzania recorded a positive trend in trade relations. According to Retno, trade between the two countries increased by 50 percent from 2019 to 2022, with a value of more than USD 340 million.

"Based on this momentum, Indonesia intends to export several other goods such as rubber tires, fertilizers, food and beverages," Retno said.

On investment, the two foreign ministers discussed efforts to increase Indonesian investment in Tanzania. Clove oil manufacturer PT Indesso Aroma, for example, plans to expand its refining units in Zanzibar and Tonga. While PT Pertamina is also looking to expand its presence and acquire a majority stake in Mnazi Bay Bloc operations through its subsidiaries Maurel and Prom.

"I appreciate Tanzania's support for Indonesia's outbound investment. I believe this will also make a positive contribution to our economy," Retno said.

Meanwhile, in the health sector, the two Foreign Ministers committed to strengthening cooperation to strengthen health resilience. According to Retno, the pandemic has taught both countries the importance of strong health infrastructure.

"Indonesian pharmaceutical company Dexa Medica has received Good Manufacturing Practices from Tanzania and will start supplying its products to Tanzania," Retno said.

In the development sector, Retno Marsudi said, Indonesia and Tanzania have implemented various development cooperation programs. These include capacity building, food security training, trade, investment and education. In the past five years, Indonesia and Tanzania have implemented various development cooperation programs. They include capacity building and training in food security, trade, investment and education.

"For this year and next year, we will continue to provide similar programs in agriculture, mining and energy. In the long term, we seek to enhance our cooperation, including by developing country-specific cooperation plans in development cooperation," Retno said.

In addition to the four issues, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi and Minister of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation of the Republic of Tanzania, Stergomena Lawrence Tax, also discussed preparations for President Joko Widodo's visit to Tanzania later this year, and the possibility of a visit to Indonesia by the Prime Minister of Tanzania.

"Our hope is that this visit will result in concrete and meaningful cooperation that can be achieved," she said. (VOI)