VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOINews, Jakarta - Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) and Mozambique President Filipe Nyusi have agreed to enhance their preferential trade agreement (PTA) to boost trade between the two countries.

"We have agreed to optimize the PTA through cooperation between the chambers of commerce in both countries," Jokowi stated in a press release.

The two leaders held a bilateral meeting at President Nyusi's office in Maputo, Republic of Mozambique, on Wednesday.

Jokowi emphasized that Mozambique is a close friend of Indonesia and the first African country to have entered into a preferential trade agreement with Indonesia.

He added that since the implementation of the Indonesia-Mozambique PTA in 2022, trade between the two nations has significantly increased by 78 percent as of June 2023.

To further promote trade cooperation, he encouraged Mozambique to open its doors to Indonesia's wood and train exports.

Jokowi expressed his commitment to strengthening development cooperation with Africa over the next five years, which will encompass various sectors such as energy, health security, agriculture, and other areas of interest to Mozambique.

During the meeting, he and President Nyusi signed several cooperation documents, including a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the control of drugs and biological products and a letter of interest on bilateral cooperation in the defense sector.

Jokowi is currently on a state visit to four African countries from August 21–24, marking his first-ever trip to the continent since taking office.

After visiting Kenya, Tanzania, and Mozambique, he will proceed to South Africa to attend the BRICS Summit. (Antaranews)