"We warmly welcome every initiative to bring progress to bilateral cooperation..."
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa held talks with his Bangladeshi counterpart, Dipu Moni, during his recent visit to the South Asian country aimed at strengthening bilateral relations.

During his stay, Marty also paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the Foreign Ministry said in a press statement released on Friday.

"The close personal relations between President Yudhoyono and Prime Minister Hasina have contributed a lot to strengthening and expanding bilateral relations between Indonesia and Bangladesh," Marty said.

He said his meeting with the Bangladeshi foreign minister served as a new momentum conducive to continuing mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries in various fields.

"We warmly welcome every initiative to bring progress to bilateral cooperation in various fields, including trade and investment, agriculture, defense, education, food security, good governance, terror fight, research and technology, and natural disaster control," he said.

One of the important outcomes of the meeting is the exchange of each other`s notes of ratification to the Agreement on Visa Exemption for Holders of Diplomatic/Services Passports signed by the two countries in August 2010.

In addition, the two foreign ministers also have agreed to encourage any effort to intensify contacts between government officials and businessmen of the two countries by means of, among others, participation in various trade exhibitions held in the two countries and the exchange of visit by the two countries` chambers of commerce and industry.

The two ministers also discussed a follow-up to Prime Minister Hasina`s invitation to President Yudhoyono to visit Bangladesh.

At the meeting, they also exchanged views on cooperation between the two countries at regional and global forums.

At the end of the meeting, the two ministers also agreed on a plan to organize the third meeting of the Joint Commission for Indonesia and Bangladesh Bilateral Cooperation in Bangladesh in 2013/2014.

For the first time ever, the meeting will be led by the two foreign ministers.

The two previous such meetings held in 2007 and 2010 were led by director general-level officials.

Bangladesh, with a population of more than 158 million, is one of the main traditional markets for Indonesian products. Trade between the two countries reached US$1.17 billion last year.

(Reporting by Panji Pratama, editing by Suharto)

Editor: Priyambodo RH
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