"Malaysia is the closest neighboring country of Indonesia. We have several similarities in our culture and history as well as interests and future," Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi noted in a press release received here on Monday.
Retno met her Malaysian counterpart Datuk Anifah Aman during a meeting of the Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) on last Saturday in Kuala Lumpur that was held to discuss bilateral cooperation.
The meeting is also aimed to make preparations for a consultation meeting between Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak in 2016.
Both foreign ministers agreed to intensify cooperation in the palm oil industry, including efforts to dismiss the negative campaign about Indonesian palm oil in the markets in Europe and the United States.
"Malaysia has positively welcomed the Indonesian proposal to establish a Council of Palm Oil Producer Countries (CPOPCs) to improve cooperation between palm oil producing countries, including on production and promotion efforts," Retno affirmed.
Retno and Anifah also discussed about Indonesian migrant workers in Malaysia. They agreed to prioritize the safety, welfare, and basic rights of migrant workers employed in Malaysia.
Both countries also shared a similar viewpoint that migrant workers should understand the regulation and mechanism being implemented in Malaysia, including the voluntary deportation issue.
During the meeting, Minister Retno also discussed the importance of education rights for the children of migrant workers in Malaysia.
She hoped the agreement signed between President Widodo and the Malaysian prime minister in February 2015 on providing education to the children of migrant workers would be followed up. The minister was also optimistic that Malaysia would grant an establishment permit for setting up a Community Learning Center (CLC) for Indonesian children.
"We will also accomplish several issues at the technical level for the development of a CLC and teaching permits for Indonesian teachers at the center," Retno revealed.
Both ministers also discussed several matters relating to the political and regional security sectors, such as border issues, legal and consular cooperation, and education, as well as in the fields of meteorology and agriculture.
Additionally, the next JCBC meeting will be held in Indonesia in the second semester of 2017.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2015
