Indonesia and Portugal Strengthen Cooperation, Minister P2MI Prepares Special Agenda
Indonesia and Portugal are moving to strengthen bilateral cooperation on migrant labour, with the Ministry for the Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (P2MI) preparing a dedicated agenda ahead of a landmark agreement.
Minister of P2MI, Mukhtarudin, received the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to Portugal, Susi Marleny Bachsin, at the P2MI Ministry office in Jakarta on Tuesday, 4 August 2026.
During the meeting, the two discussed accelerating the completion of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the placement and protection of Indonesian migrant workers in Portugal, while also preparing a bilateral cooperation agenda targeted for completion and signing in October 2026.
On this occasion, Ambassador Susi Marleny Bachsin expressed her appreciation for the support and commitment shown by the P2MI Minister and his ministry in opening opportunities for cooperation on migrant worker placement that is safe, legal and mutually beneficial for both Indonesia and Portugal.
“First and foremost, we extend our highest appreciation and gratitude for the attention, welcome and support of the Minister and the entire staff of the P2MI Ministry towards efforts to open cooperation on the placement and protection of Indonesian migrant workers. The ministry’s support is a key factor in driving forward cooperation that is safe, legal and mutually beneficial for both countries,” said Susi, quoted on Tuesday (4/8/2026).
Susi explained that the process of finalising the MoU between the P2MI Ministry and Portugal’s migration authority, AIMA, has now entered its final stage. Based on the latest communication with the President of AIMA, Portugal hopes the MoU can be signed in October 2026.
As a step towards the signing, the Portuguese Government proposed that a delegation from the P2MI Ministry visit Lisbon in September 2026.
The proposed programme includes meetings with AIMA, a forum on migrant worker placement cooperation, business matching between Portuguese business associations and official Indonesian placement agencies, and discussions on more concrete cooperation mechanisms.
In response, P2MI Minister Mukhtarudin expressed his support for the proposed stages, including the planned visit to Portugal before the MoU is signed in Indonesia.
“My thanks to the Ambassador for her second visit and for bringing good news about the progress in developing cooperation on the placement of Indonesian migrant workers with the Republic of Portugal, particularly for skilled workers,” said Minister Mukhtarudin.
Mukhtarudin said interest from various countries in Indonesian labour continues to grow. Having previously received the Turkish Labour Minister and Albania’s Minister of Economy and Innovation, Portugal is now also showing its seriousness in expanding cooperation on the placement of Indonesian migrant workers.
“Portugal is one of the countries receiving attention from the President. Therefore, we must prepare our skilled workforce as best we can, as they will form part of the President’s priority programme through strengthening vocational education and the SMK Go Global initiative,” he said.
According to Mukhtarudin, although the number of Indonesian migrant workers currently placed in Portugal remains relatively limited, the signing of the MoU targeted for October 2026 is expected to open up greater opportunities.
“With the MoU in place, we hope the placement of Indonesian migrant workers in Portugal will increase, both in quantity and quality,” he said.
Regarding the planned visit to Portugal in September 2026, Minister Mukhtarudin said the government in principle welcomes the proposal and will discuss it internally in due course.
“God willing, we will schedule the visit to Portugal and prepare the strengthening of cooperation before the signing of the MoU, which is planned to take place in Indonesia in October,” Mukhtarudin concluded.
Mukhtarudin affirmed that Indonesia is also ready in terms of systems and infrastructure for migrant worker placement. According to him, training facilities, vocational education institutions and Indonesian migrant worker placement companies (P3MI) already meet the standards required to support international labour needs.
“If the Portuguese delegation wishes to see our training centres and the process of preparing our workforce first-hand, everything is ready. We also have high-quality P3MI companies, covering business-to-business (B2B), private-to-private (P2P), and government-to-government (G2G) placement schemes,” explained Minister Mukhtarudin.
Minister Mukhtarudin stressed that protection remains the top priority in every cooperation on the placement of Indonesian migrant workers.
“For the President, what matters most is the protection of migrant workers. They must receive decent wages, decent housing, good health insurance and adequate social protection. In this way, the cooperation built will truly provide benefits and a sense of security for Indonesian migrant workers,” Mukhtarudin asserted.
Through this series of activities, both countries hope the process of finalising the cooperation can proceed according to target, thereby opening up wider, more professional and better-protected placement opportunities for Indonesian migrant workers.
“This will also strengthen bilateral relations between Indonesia and Portugal in the field of employment,” Mukhtarudin concluded.
With the accelerated completion of the MoU, Indonesia and Portugal are expected to soon enter a new chapter of cooperation on migrant worker placement that is safe, legal and of high quality, while expanding employment opportunities for Indonesian workers with protection remaining the foremost priority.