Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia’s House Speaker Puan Maharani has expressed her support for the strengthening of bilateral relations between Indonesia and South Korea, including cooperation between the parliaments of the two countries.

"I hope this visit can further strengthen the relationship between the two countries, hence there will be more concrete benefits for the people of the two countries," Puan Maharani said in a statement, following her meeting with Kim Sang-Hee, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of South Korea, at the DPR RI building here on Wednesday.

The Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI) and South Korea's Parliament could work together more closely in encouraging women's empowerment in decision-making, Maharani remarked.

DPR has formed bilateral friendship groups with 102 parliaments from various countries, including South Korea.

“I hope that the close cooperation between the parliaments of the two countries can help achieve various development goals through the exchange of information regarding the roles and functions of parliaments in the two countries,” Maharani said.

She also lauded bilateral cooperation in COVID-19 handling and thanked South Korea for providing assistance to Indonesia.

The two countries should establish cooperation in joint research and vaccine development, she suggested.

"I invite various parties in Korea to establish cooperation with Indonesian partners in the field of medical device innovation," she added.

The PDI-P politician said that in relation to economic cooperation, Indonesia is always keen to improve its investment climate, adding she hoped that the Korean parliament will help encourage Korean companies to invest in Indonesia.

During their meeting, she and her South Korean guest also discussed issues on protection for more than 33 thousand Indonesian migrant workers in the Republic of Korea.

"I hope for the support of the Korean parliament to continue to improve protection for Indonesian migrant workers in Korea," she said.

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Translator: Imam Budilaksono, Fardah
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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