The commitment was reaffirmed during a bilateral meeting between the two foreign ministers on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting and Post-Ministerial Conferences (AMM/PMC) in Manila, the Philippines, on Thursday (July 23).
"New Zealand is a close partner of Indonesia in the Pacific region. I welcome the commitment of both countries to elevate this partnership to a higher level, from defense cooperation to support for Indonesia's national priority programs," Sugiono said in a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday.
One of the key outcomes of the meeting was New Zealand's support for Indonesia's efforts to improve child nutrition, including its readiness to support the government's Free Nutritious Meal Program.
Foreign Minister Peters expressed New Zealand's readiness to assist the Indonesian government in strengthening child nutrition initiatives.
Both ministers underscored the importance of ensuring adequate nutrition for school-age children as a foundation for long-term human capital development and economic resilience.
In the defense sector, Sugiono and Peters agreed to strengthen defense cooperation through the establishment of a Navy-to-Navy Talks forum and by exploring a Defense Cooperation Arrangement.
To ensure the timely implementation of these commitments, both foreign ministers agreed to convene the 13th Indonesia-New Zealand Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC) in New Zealand at the end of August 2026.
The ministerial-level forum will serve as an important platform to review progress in bilateral cooperation and promote closer collaboration on regional and global issues.
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Translator: Katriana, Yashinta Difa
Editor: M Razi Rahman
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