VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has given three directives that Indonesian and Saudi foreign ministers will discuss during their bilateral meeting on Tuesday.

"The president did not speak in detail as the details of the issue will be discussed at the Foreign Ministry tomorrow. He only gave directives on the frame of Indonesia's objective of establishing relations with Saudi Arabia," Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi stated in Bogor, West Java, on Monday.

Speaking to journalists after accompanying the president at a meeting with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir at the Bogor Presidential Palace, Marsudi noted that Al-Jubeir`s visit to Indonesia was mainly aimed at holding bilateral talks with her on Tuesday.

"The meeting has been scheduled for a quite long time, because it is one of the follows up to King Salman`s visit to Indonesia last year," she added.

The first directive that the president delivered at a meeting with the Saudi foreign minister is that as a fellow Muslim country, Indonesia has always encouraged Saudi Arabia to promote peace and tolerance and settle any conflict peacefully.

The second directive is that the two countries should strengthen cooperation in the economic, trade, and investment fields.

"Both countries have not made optimum use of the potentials. That is why the president expressed hope that cooperation between Indonesia and Saudi Arabia in the economic field will be increased," she remarked.

The third directive is that the president?s call to the Saudi government seeking better protection for Indonesian migrant workers employed in the Middle Eastern country.

"Many Indonesian citizens are employed there. The president has asked Saudi Arabia to protect them," she pointed out. (ANTARA)