Visiting Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi participated in the first session of the Kuwaiti-Indonesian Supreme Commission held under the chairmanship of Kuwait’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah.
During the session, Kuwaiti and Indonesian officials explored various avenues of cooperation particularly at the economic and development levels, and the means of boosting such cooperation toward “close integration between the two countries.”
Various accords and memorandums of understanding were signed during the meeting, including on visa exemption for holders of diplomatic and special passports, cooperation in the realm of building diplomatic potentials, and coordination in education and scientific research. In addition agreements were also inked on cooperation in the sectors of oil, gas and petrochemicals.
Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled in his inaugural speech warmly welcomed the Indonesian officials, and noted that the two countries have shared a special bond since diplomatic relations began 51 years ago. He expressed gratitude for Indonesia’s efforts to resolve the ‘Gulf crisis’ and lend its full support for the initiative by His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber AlSabah for “tackling the rift in the single Gulf home.”
“With these meetings, the relations between our two friendly countries enter a new phase of cooperation, thus warranting utmost efforts to activate our bilateral and international cooperation,” he said, pointing to the signing of up to 10 accords for cooperation in various vital fields.
Highlighting the noticeable growth of the bilateral relations between Kuwait and Indonesia, Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled said that Kuwaiti investments in Indonesia reached more than US$1.7 billion in 2019, compared to US$460 million in 2014, which showed a noticeable rise.
