VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOINews, Jakarta - President Joko Widodo's (Jokowi's) visit to Tanzania, East Africa, resulted in an agreement on cooperation in trade, energy, health security, and agriculture sectors.

"The Global South contains 85 percent of the world's population. Therefore, the world should listen to the voices and interests of the countries in the Global South, including the right to carry out development projects," he said while issuing a joint press statement with the President of the United Republic of Tanzania Samia Suluhu Hassan on Tuesday.

During their meeting at the Dar Es Salaam State House, the two leaders discussed a number of bilateral cooperation areas along with the signing of a number of Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs).

Indonesia also pushed for a preferential trade agreement (PTA) to further optimize the trade potential between the two countries, which experienced an increase of 20.7 percent in 2022.

President Widodo also conveyed Indonesia's willingness to increase investment in Tanzania, including in the management of a gas block in Mnazi Bay, Tanzania, by a state-owned enterprise (SOE) and the conversion of natural gas into chemicals and fertilizers.

"This cooperation is very strategic and will strengthen collaboration between developing countries. In addition, I propose the establishment of a bilateral investment treaty to ensure the protection and continuity of investments between the two countries," he stated.

Furthermore, Indonesia has committed to participate in health resilience development in Tanzania by exporting products made by its domestic pharmaceutical industry, he added.

"Indonesia is committed to helping Tanzania in building their health resilience in the form of Indonesian pharmaceutical company exports to Tanzania as a form of contribution to meeting the need for pharmaceutical products in Tanzania," he said.

He then expressed his commitment to realizing concrete collaboration, including through the formulation of plans to revitalize the farmer, agriculture, and rural training center in Morogoro, Tanzania.

"Indonesia is finalizing a grand design for the next five years of development for Africa," he disclosed.

In his speech, President Widodo noted that Tanzania has historical roots that have strengthened relations between Indonesia and African countries since the 1955 Asian-African Conference and the 1951 Non-Aligned Movement.

"We must strengthen the spirit of solidarity and collaboration between countries in the Global South," he emphasized. (antaranews)