Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, has invited Indonesian President Joko Widodo to the UAE to witness the signing of the UAE-Indonesia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement.
Both countries entered into talks for the agreement in September. It aims to strengthen trade ties, expand economic and investment opportunities, and mark a new phase of bilateral co-operation. The agreement could be signed this month.
Suhail Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, invited the Indonesian president on behalf of Sheikh Mohamed.
Mr Al Mazrouei is in Indonesia on an official visit and is leading a delegation comprising representatives from G42, an Abu Dhabi-based AI and cloud computing company, Abu Dhabi Ports, Abu Dhabi Growth Fund, Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) and a number of officials from the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, and other departments.
During the meeting, Mr Al Mazrouei conveyed the greetings and well wishes of President Sheikh Khalifa, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, and Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed.
Mr Widodo welcomed Mr Al Mazrouei and conveyed his greetings to the UAE leaders.
Mr Al Mazrouei spoke of the strong relationship between the nations and the desire for UAE leaders to develop and strengthen co-operation.
He also thanked Indonesia for inviting the UAE to attend the G20 Summit, which will be held in the Southeast Asian country in October.
Mr Widodo praised the strong bilateral relations and said he hoped Mr Al Mazrouei's visit would lead to more co-operation in various fields.
Mr Al Mazrouei was accompanied by Abdullah Salem Al Dhaheri, the UAE's ambassador to Indonesia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and several officials.
Emirati-Indonesian relations have grown significantly in recent years, especially after Sheikh Mohamed's visit to the Asian nation in July 2019. Several MoUs, worth $32 billion, were signed during the visit.
Several Emirati companies are working on projects in Indonesia, including the country's first floating solar power plant by Masdar, and a project between the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company and Indonesia’s Pertamina to develop petrochemicals and gas.
Bilateral trade between the UAE and Indonesia reached about $2.5bn in 2020. The UAE exported goods worth about $1.5bn to Indonesia, while the Southeast Asian country's imports from the UAE amounted to $1bn.
In October 2020, the name of a street in Abu Dhabi was changed in honour of the Indonesian president. A mosque will also be built in the UAE capital in his honour.
Abu Dhabi street named after Joko Widodo — in pictures
