Athens, Greece (ANTARA) - Vice President Ma'ruf Amin and Greek Foreign Affairs Minister Georgios Gerapetritis discussed efforts to further strengthen bilateral relations between Indonesia and Greece ahead of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of relations in 2024.

"There are economic agreements that need to be further explored, considering that Greece was one of the first countries that recognized Indonesia's sovereignty in 1949. Hence, Indonesia and Greece have been maintaining relations for (almost) 75 years," he remarked in Athens, Greece.

VP Amin made the statement after receiving a luncheon from FM Gerapetritis on Thursday (November 23) at local time.

The vice president said he believes that the 75th anniversary of Indonesia-Greece diplomatic relations could serve as a momentum for the two countries to intensify cooperation, including by implementing the Plan of Actions for Advancing Economic Cooperation between Indonesia and Greece for the 2023-2028 Period.

"I am optimistic about economic cooperation between the two countries becoming even stronger in the future," he affirmed.

Amin then elaborated on the objectives of his working visit to Greece, saying that he is seeking to invite religious leaders in the world, including the Archbishop of Athens and all of Greece, Ieronymos II, to participate in making efforts to create a peaceful world.

Amin had earlier met with Archbishop Ieronymos II in Athens before meeting with FM Gerapetritis.

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During his meeting with the Greek FM, the vice president also highlighted the importance of formulating solutions that can bring lasting peace in Palestine. He also extended Indonesia's appreciation to Greece for its willingness to open its maritime corridors for the distribution of humanitarian aid to Palestine's Gaza.

Furthermore, he reiterated that Indonesia would never waver in supporting Palestine, saying, "I would like to affirm that Indonesia would never back down in standing by Palestine."

Amin then welcomed the agreed humanitarian pause that enables the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the besieged Gaza Strip while emphasizing the importance of putting a permanent end to the acts of violence.

"We want to urge parties to continue to invest efforts to push for the implementation of the two-state solution for the sake of permanently stopping the conflict. Indonesia will continue taking initiatives to bring peace to Gaza," he stated.

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Translator: Indra Arief, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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