Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto affirmed his commitment to intensifying strategic relations between Indonesia and New Zealand during a meeting with New Zealand's Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in Lima, Peru, on Friday local time.

The bilateral meeting took place on the sidelines of the president's visit to Peru for the 2024 APEC Summit.

"We are in the same region and share common values and interests. I would like to reiterate my commitment to sustaining this relationship, bolstering the cooperation and friendship fostered between our countries," he told Luxon, as cited from his secretariat's statement here on Saturday.

Prabowo affirmed that Indonesia is poised to intensify trade ties between both nations and strengthen its involvement in regional forums of Pacific states.

Furthermore, the Indonesian head of state expressed gratitude to Luxon for delegating New Zealand's Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters to his presidential inauguration in Jakarta on October 20, 2024.

PM Luxon, for his part, congratulated President Prabowo on the inauguration and expressed his enthusiasm toward seizing opportunities for further collaboration.

The New Zealand head of government also applauded Indonesia for its constructive role in Southeast Asia and the world while highlighting the significant growth in the volume of Indonesia-New Zealand trade in the past few years.

He affirmed that the two countries have the potential to forge cooperation in renewable energy, food security, and tourism.

Moreover, the prime minister praised Indonesia's persistence and success in freeing Phillip Mehrtens, a pilot from New Zealand who was held hostage by an armed separatist group in Papua for 19 months.

Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto, Foreign Affairs Minister Sugiono, Cabinet Secretary Teddy Wijaya, Presidential Special Advisor for National Defense Dudung Abdurachman, and Indonesian Ambassador to Peru Ricky Suhendar accompanied President Prabowo to the meeting.

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