(AseanAll) — Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, Arrmanatha C. Nasir, held a bilateral meeting with the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Administration, Finance, and Assets of the Republic of Angola, Osvaldo Dos Santos Varela, on April 30,2025 at the Embassy of the Republic of Angola in Jakarta. This meeting took place before the inauguration of the Angolan Embassy in Jakarta on the same day.
Arrmanatha extended Indonesia's warm welcome to the opening of the Angolan Embassy in Jakarta. Angola is a key partner for Indonesia in Africa and also in South-South Cooperation. The opening of the Angolan Embassy coincides with the commemoration of the 70th. Anniversary of the Asia-Africa Conference is an important momentum for strengthening friendship and relations between the two countries," he said.
During the meeting, both parties emphasized their commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation in various fields.
First, both parties emphasized the significance of enhancing bilateral cooperation, both through the ongoing Political Consultation mechanism and the Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC), which is anticipated to be signed by the Foreign Ministers of both countries shortly.
The Vice-Minister and the Secretary are eager to promptly finalize several memoranda of understanding between the two countries, especially in the fields of oil and gas, industry, fisheries, and marine resources, as well as diplomatic training.
Second, in the economic sector, the two countries also agreed on the importance of diversifying non-oil and gas trade commodities, expanding market access, and providing tariff benefits for the two countries' leading commodities. One of these efforts is through the establishment of the Indonesia-Angola Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA), which has been delayed since October 2021.
Indonesia is also ready to support Angola's vision of becoming a major producer of the agricultural and fisheries sectors in Sub-Saharan Africa in the next five years, through an international development cooperation scheme.
In line with diversification efforts, Indonesia will continue to strengthen cooperation with Angola in the oil and gas sector to achieve national energy security.
Angola, on the other hand, offered cooperation in the critical minerals sector, which is also one of Indonesia's top priorities.
In regional cooperation, Indonesia also expressed appreciation and support for Angola's leadership as President of the African Union in 2025. The two countries agreed to explore the potential cooperation between ASEAN and the African Union.
At the end of the meeting, The Vice-Minister and the Secretary agreed to continue working together to reform the multilateral system. "The opening of the Angolan Embassy amidst the current global uncertainty is also a positive signal for enhancing South-South cooperation, especially in the pursuit of creating fairer global governance," the Vice-Minister concluded.
