President Jokowi made this request in a press statement on the state visit of President of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, José Ramos-Horta, and his delegation to the Bogor Presidential Palace, West Java, Tuesday.
"For sea connectivity, I see the importance of opening the Kupang-Dili-Darwin shipping route," President Jokowi noted in a press statement as witnessed virtually via the Presidential Secretariat's YouTube account.
President Jokowi revealed that the two countries agreed to improve both land and sea connectivity.
Jokowi expressed hope that the Kupang-Dili bus route would be launched soon to improve land connectivity.
The cooperation on land connectivity was strengthened with the inking of a memorandum of understanding on cross-border bus movement by Indonesian Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi and Minister of Transport and Communications of Timor-Leste José Agustinho da Silva.
During a bilateral meeting between Indonesia and Timor-Leste, President Jokowi said that strengthening economic cooperation was the focus of discussion between the two parties.
In addition to connectivity, Indonesia and Timor-Leste agreed to boost trade between the two countries.
"By looking at the trend in the development of trade relations that continues to be positive, I believe that trade between the two countries can continue to be increased," President Jokowi affirmed.
Jokowi also invited SOEs and Indonesian companies to partake in development in Timor-Leste, including in the infrastructure sector.
Currently, the value of Indonesia's investment in Timor-Leste reaches US$818 million, with the main sectors being banking, oil and gas, and telecommunications.
The four memoranda of understanding signed between the two countries pertained to cooperation in agriculture, bus cross-border movement, standardization and metrology, as well as technical cooperation in the trade sector.
President Ramos-Horta arrived at the Bogor Presidential Palace at around 9:54 a.m. local time. He was greeted with a series of official state welcoming ceremonies.
Marching band troops, cavalry, and troops wearing traditional Indonesian attire escorted the arrival of Ramos-Horta at the Bogor Palace.
President Jokowi then greeted President Ramos-Horta in the courtyard of the Bogor Presidential Palace.
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During a series of activities for receiving state guests, President Jokowi also invited President Ramos-Horta to plant trees.
Currently, the two state leaders were still engaged in informal conversations on the back porch of the Bogor Presidential Palace.
President Ramos-Horta is planning to stay in Indonesia for eight days. Before arriving at the Bogor Presidential Palace, the Timor-Leste president and his entourage first visited the Kalibata Heroes Cemetery to lay a wreath honoring the fallen soldiers.
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Translator: Mentari D, Azis Kurmala
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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