JAKARTA: Indonesian Vice President Ma’ruf Amin is welcoming a “new era” in Saudi-Indonesia relations and will encourage the country’s private sector to look into opportunities related to the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, his spokesperson told Arab News on Wednesday.
Saudi-Indonesian ties span centuries but have gained momentum in recent years following King Salman’s visit to Indonesia in 2017, which has since sparked more bilateral exchanges at the political and business levels.
Riyadh and Jakarta established the Saudi-Indonesia Supreme Coordinating Council headed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and President Joko Widodo during the latter’s visit to the Saudi capital last month.
On Tuesday, Amin held a meeting with Saudi Ambassador to Indonesia Faisal Abdullah Amodi in Jakarta, where the two discussed ways to boost investment between Indonesia and Saudi Arabia.
“The vice president is hoping for more intensive investment activities between the two countries because, in his view, this is a new era of Indonesia-Saudi relations,” Masduki Baidlowi, spokesperson to the vice president, told Arab News on Wednesday.
“It’s a new era because there has been great momentum in bilateral relations and enthusiasm to do investment from both countries … This momentum must be sped up to go beyond Hajj and Umrah, but also business and investment relations between the two countries.”
On the sidelines of Widodo’s visit to Riyadh last month, the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Federation of Saudi Chambers agreed to establish a joint task force to promote new collaborations. Governments of the two countries also signed initial agreements on the halal sector, youth and sports, and product standardization.
Bilateral ties have traditionally focused on Hajj and Umrah as Indonesia, the world’s biggest Muslim-majority nation, sends the largest Hajj contingent of pilgrims every year.
Recently there have been talks to explore untapped potentials in commerce, with Saudi-Indonesian trade increasing on average by around 5 percent annually between 2018 and 2022, according to data from the Ministry of Trade. Last year, bilateral trade was valued at $7.51 billion, a 35 percent rise from 2021.
The Indonesian vice president is set to hold meetings with related ministries and institutions to chart concrete steps following Widodo’s trip, Baidlowi said.
He will also push the Indonesian private sector to look into potential collaborations related to the Saudi Vision 2030 transformation strategy, adding that there are possibilities in tourism, the fashion and beauty sectors, as well as the halal industry.
“The vice president will be encouraging all Indonesian businessmen to look into opportunities related to Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030,” Baidlowi said.
