Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi and Foreign Affairs Minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, led the first joint commission meeting between the two countries on Thursday.

At the meeting, which was held at the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the two discussed the progress of cooperation between Indonesia and the UAE, including in addressing the worsening conflict and humanitarian situation in Gaza.

"Indonesia and the UAE share the same concern about the humanitarian crisis in Palestine," Marsudi said in a press release issued by the Indonesian Embassy in Abu Dhabi, which was uploaded on her ministry's website on Friday.

Regarding the conflict in Gaza, the minister said that the two countries hope that a ceasefire can be reached immediately and that humanitarian aid can continue to reach Gaza.

Apart from the Palestine issue, the joint commission meeting also discussed the progress of Indonesia and the UAE's cooperation in several sectors, including trade and investment, energy, climate change, and science and technology.

The two countries also agreed on a number of cooperation proposals, including cooperation in education, culture, tourism, religious affairs, health, and workforce.

According to Marsudi, the first joint commission meeting marked a milestone in strengthening bilateral relations and cooperation between Indonesia and the UAE.

Indonesian Ambassador to the UAE, Husin Bagis, expressed the hope that Thursday's meeting would bolster the two countries' closeness in various fields ranging from economy to people-to-people contact, so that their relations can be strengthened from the level of leaders to communities.

As part of her visit to the UAE, Minister Marsudi also inaugurated the new building of the Indonesian embassy in Abu Dhabi.

The inauguration was attended by several senior officials from the UAE, including Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei, and Minister of State at the UAE Foreign Affairs Ministry, Ahmed bin Ali Al Sayegh.

Source:
courtesy of THE JAKARTA POST

by ANTARA NEWS

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