President Joko Widodo believed, ASEAN-India can be a center of economic growth in the Indian Ocean region, which will support the creation of prosperity and stability in the circle of Indo- Pacific. The President's confidence is due to many potentials that ASEAN and India have. One of them is the productive age population of about 1.5 billion people from almost two billion people. It was announced by President Joko Widodo in the Plenary Session of the ASEAN-India Warning High Level held on Thursday, January 25, in New Delhi, India.
Moreover, the optimism of world economic growth also has an important role. It is expected to rise to 3.7 percent by 2018 from 3.6 percent in 2017. Deputy for Protocol, Press and Media Secretariat President Bey Machmudin reported that President Joko Widodo also appreciated the ASEAN-India cooperation that has boosted the economic growth of each country.
The ASEAN economy is predicted to grow 5 percent, while the Indian economy is expected to grow 7 percent by 2018. However, there are still some unstable global conditions that ASEAN and India must face. Therefore, the President Joko Widodo invited ASEAN along with India to continue the Comprehensive Regional Economic Partnership negotiations that will represent almost half the world's population.
Joko Widodo encouraged the strengthening of cooperation between Indonesia and Vietnam
President Joko Widodo encouraged the strengthening of cooperation between Indonesia and Vietnam on a number of issues. During a bilateral meeting with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc, on the sidelines of the ASEAN-India Summit in New Delhi, India, Friday, January 26, President Joko Widodo raised the discussion on two main points that need to be taken into consideration by both countries.
First, the President reiterated the importance of accelerating the settlement of negotiations on exclusive economic zone boundaries. Exclusive economic zones can also be accompanied by cooperation in the field of widespread terrorism and maritime handling. In this case the President welcomed the achievement of a preliminary agreement on the boundaries of the exclusive economic zone last November. The second focus the President attempted to address was the policy in the automotive sector enacted Vietnam.
The policy sets standards and agreements tans of imported vehicles to the country. Therefore, President Joko Widodo asked the Vietnamese Prime Minister to give Indonesia a chance to learn more about the policy. The president also encouraged six agreements in education, law, and gas utilization in the border region the continental shelf, the rural development, the strengthening of maritime security cooperation, and the coal supply signed last year, continue to be implemented.
Indonesia Participated in the 38th FITUR, Madrid.
In order to promote Indonesian Tourism to the international market, the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in collaboration with the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism participated in the 38th International Tourism exhibition, FITUR, in Madrid on 17-21 January. The exhibition that was opened by King of Spain Felipe VI (six) was attended by 165 countries, the tourism Minister of the member countries of the World Tourism Organization, and the world's top tourism officials. During the exhibition, the stand of the Indonesian pavilion was visited by approximately 5,000 visitors, business travel entrepreneurs, print and electronic mass media, as well as visitors who are interested to come to Indonesia for travel and business trips. For Indonesia, the Feature is a very appropriate momentum to attract Spanish tourists. The event also directly brought together Indonesian sellers with potential buyers from Spain.