German President stresses importance of strategic partnership with Indonesia

Jakarta - President of the Federal Republic of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier has stressed the importance of the partnership between Germany and Indonesia amid a global situation marked by various conflicts and increasing violence in several regions of the world. In a joint statement at Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, on Monday, Steinmeier noted that his current visit to Indonesia is his fourth, reflecting the significance of relations with Indonesia for Germany. “This is the fourth time I have visited here. The number of visits shows how important relations with Indonesia are for us in Germany. And of course, our meeting today is being held in a very difficult world situation,” Steinmeier said. He assessed that the meeting took place amid a world situation full of uncertainty, such as the war still ongoing in Europe and conflicts continuing in various other regions, including Sudan and the Middle East. According to Steinmeier, amidst a world shaken by increasing violence in many regions, partnerships like the one between Germany and Indonesia become very meaningful. “In a situation where the world is shaken by increasingly escalating violence in many regions, a partnership like the one between Germany and Indonesia is very meaningful,” he said. Steinmeier recalled that the foundation of this partnership had been built at least since the Jakarta Declaration in 2012 and expressed his conviction that relations between the two countries need to be continuously deepened. He said the strengthening of the partnership can be carried out in various fields, including climate, education, research, and culture. Steinmeier also touched on the broad scope of topics discussed by the two countries and the progress in relations achieved in recent years. According to him, there is still great potential that can be further developed in bilateral relations between Germany and Indonesia. “I am convinced there are many possibilities for cooperation between German and Indonesian companies. Dear President Prabowo, I thank you very much for the very extensive opportunity to exchange ideas this afternoon,” he said. The state visit by the German President is considered highly significant and serves as an indicator of strengthening good bilateral relations between the two countries. President Prabowo Subianto stated, “I firmly believe that Germany must play a more active and more important role because we need a good partnership with Germany and with Europe.” During the meeting, the two leaders discussed strengthening partnerships in a number of sectors and agreed to increase trade and investment volumes. “At today’s meeting, we discussed strengthening the Indonesia-Germany partnership, particularly in the fields of economy, investment, energy transition, energy security, education, and employment. We agreed to continue increasing mutually beneficial trade and investment volumes,” the President said. Regarding the enhancement of this cooperation, the President also stressed the importance of relations between Indonesia and Europe, expressing hope that the Indonesia-European Union Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IEU-CEPA) can reach a substantive conclusion. Furthermore, President Prabowo invited President Steinmeier to expand investment in various important sectors in Indonesia, such as energy transition, industrial downstreaming, and transportation amid efforts to increase the use of electric vehicles. Indonesia also invited German investors to support the development of the semiconductor industry, enter the critical minerals and rare earth supply chain sector, and the infrastructure sector. The development of employment cooperation was also discussed, which could expand opportunities for Indonesian workers not only in the nursing field but also in the technology sector.