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Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi meets with Philippine Foreign Minister Enrique A. Manalo ahead of Indonesian President Joko Widodo's meeting with Philippine President Marcos Jr. at the 7th JCBC on Tuesday (9/1/2024) in Manila, Philippines. (Photo: Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

VOInews, Jakarta: Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said Indonesia should utilize the moment of the Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) Meeting to strengthen Indonesia's bilateral relations with the Philippines. She said this during a meeting with Philippine Foreign Minister Enrique A. Manalo ahead of Indonesian President Joko Widodo's meeting with Philippine President Marcos Jr. at the 7th JCBC in Manila, Philippines.

"We must utilize this momentum to strengthen our bilateral relations in various sectors of common interest and to address regional and global challenges together," Retno said in a statement received on Wednesday (10/1/2024) in Jakarta.

Foreign Minister Retno also said that Indonesia welcomes the strengthening of bilateral trade and exploring new trade opportunities.

"We welcome the growth of our bilateral trade over the past 5 years despite the global crisis to further strengthen bilateral trade, we are committed to exploring new trade opportunities," Retno said.

In addition, in the investment sector, Foreign Minister Retno appreciated and welcomed the enthusiasm of investors from both countries to strengthen mutual cooperation.

"A delegation from the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry is also visiting Manila," she said.

In addition to discussing bilateral cooperation between the two countries, Foreign Minister Retno appreciated the joint efforts of the Philippines and the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in registering and confirming Indonesian Descendants in Mindanao and stated that Indonesia looks forward to further support for the second batch of registration.

"I also appreciate the joint efforts of the Philippines and UNHCR in registering and certifying Indonesian Descendants (WNIK) in Mindanao and we look forward to further support for the second batch of WNIK registration," she concluded.