Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia and Thailand strengthened their commitment to improving bilateral ties by holding the 9th Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) in Yogyakarta on Thursday.
The 9th JCM was chaired by Director General Asia Pacific and Africa-Indonesia of the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Desra Percaya and Deputy Permanent Secretary of Thailand MoFA Damrong Kraikruan, a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated on Friday.
Thursday`s meeting preceded the convening of the Ministerial Meeting of the 9th JCM between Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi and her Thailand counterpart Don Pramudwinai on Friday.
Both SOM leaders shared the same views over the importance of the 9th JCM, as 5 years have passed since the 8th JCM was held in Bangkok in 2013.
JCM is a strategic avenue for both countries to review and also renew commitments to enhancing and strengthening the Indonesia-Thailand bilateral friendship, as well as to bring real benefits to the people of both countries.
Both countries have potential and opportunities to be explored in order to strengthen the relations and cooperation in various sectors, mainly politics and security, economic, legal and consular cooperation, and social culture.
Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Arrmanatha Nasir revealed at last week`s press briefing that statistics indicated that the total value of trade between Indonesia and Thailand was recorded at US$15.74 billion in 2017.
Indonesia`s main export commodities to Thailand included iron ore, coal, vehicle spare parts, pulp and paper, and seafood products, and it chiefly imported automotive products from Thailand.
Thailand`s investment in Indonesia had reached $220 million in 2017.
At the end of the JCM meeting, both delegations are scheduled to visit Borobudur Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage, whose history and legacy is cherished not only by Indonesians, but also by the people of Thailand.
Reporter: Aditya Eko Sigit Wicaksono
Editor: Yosep Hariyadi
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