Villages Minister discusses greater cooperation with Saudi Arabia
Jakarta, Indonesianpost.com – Minister of Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration (Mendes PDTT), Abdul Halim Iskandar, discussed increasing cooperation with the Saudi Arabian Ambassador to Indonesia, Faisal Abdullah Al-Amudi, on Thursday.
“Indonesia has investments in several countries, but investment in Saudi Arabia is still lacking. We see our investment more often in sending workers, both skilled and unskilled workers,” the minister said here on Thursday.
While welcoming Ambassador Al-Amudi’s visit, Minister Halim said he supported increased cooperation between the two countries.
He added that there must be fundamental reform so that the pattern of economic cooperation, including environmental cooperation, becomes something that the governments of Saudi Arabia and Indonesia can engage in.
He said the ideas and suggestions they discussed would become an important part of the formulation of the 2024–2045 long-term development strategy.
Meanwhile, Ambassador Al-Amudi noted that Indonesia-Saudi Arabia relations have been focused on Hajj and Umrah for more than 70 years.
He said that cooperation regarding Hajj and Umrah is indeed necessary and important, but there needs to be a breakthrough to pursue a more strategic relationship between the two countries.
“We continue to improve relations related to Hajj and Umrah. However, we also open up other opportunities to improve relations between the two countries, so that the relations between Indonesia and Saudi Arabia can be more comprehensive,” he added.
Ambassador Al-Amudi said that the number of Indonesian investors investing in Saudi Arabia is still low.
Therefore, he expressed the hope that Indonesia will increase its investment in Saudi Arabia. Currently, there are only Indonesian instant noodle factories in Saudi Arabia.
“As the representative of the government of Saudi Arabia, I will open the door for the Ministry of Villages. Whatever the cooperation initiative, we will follow up on it and it will be our concern as much as possible,” the ambassador said.