Bali, September 3 (AseanAll)  — On the sidelines of the 2nd Indonesia-Africa Forum in Bali, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, Retno Marsudi, held a bilateral meeting with the Minister of State of Angola, Adão de Almeida, on September 2,2024. The two discussed strengthening bilateral cooperation, especially in the fields of trade, agro-industry and fisheries.

During the meeting, Retno hoped that the already good political relations between Indonesia and Angola also needed to be strengthened with strong economic cooperation. "Political relations alone are not enough. Economic cooperation must be a common priority," she said.

In this regard, the Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs encouraged that negotiations on the Preferential Tarriff Agreement (PTA) between Indonesia and Angola can begin immediately. PTA Indonesia – Angola is expected to be a solid foundation to strengthen economic relations between the two countries, as well as create more business and investment opportunities.

Adão de Almeida agreed on the importance of strengthening this economic cooperation. He conveyed Angola's desire to strengthen more concrete cooperation and further explore the potential of the two countries, especially in the oil, minerals, health, and food security sectors.

Furthermore, Adão de Almeida expressed his hope to be able to produce medicines independently. For this reason, he invited investors from Indonesia to support this. The Angolan side will hold a separate meeting with Biofarma and Pertamina to identify other potential collaborations. He also hopes that discussions on petroleum sector cooperation with Indonesia can be continued.

The two ministers agreed to diversify economic commodities and continue to explore various potential sectors, including the downstream industrial sector, agroindustry, and fisheries. 

In addition, in this meeting, the two ministers also discussed the plan for the President of Angola's visit to Indonesia in early 2025 and the deliverables plan from this visit.

Retno congratulated the opening of the Angolan Embassy in Jakarta. This shows that the relationship between the two countries has become closer since the start of diplomatic relations in 2001.