BOGOR: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi will meet his Indonesian counterpart Joko Widodo on Tuesday during a two-day trip to strengthen economic relations between the Muslim-majority nations amidst rising global geopolitical tensions.
Indonesia’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said Ebrahim Raisi is visiting at Widodo’s invitation as Indonesia seeks to speed up its post-pandemic recovery by increasing its exports, according to Arab News.
Indonesia’s Trade Ministry said the visit was expected to deepen Iran’s relations with Indonesia as Tehran seeks alternatives to the United States-led Western domination of international affairs and seeks further cooperation after the two countries concluded negotiations on the Indonesia-Iran Preferential Trade Agreement this month.
The Indonesian ministry’s data showed that trade between Iran and Indonesia stood at 54.1 million dollars between January and March this year compared to the previous year’s bilateral trade of 257.2 million dollars.
“Iran is the nontraditional trade partner of Indonesia,” said Johni Martha, the director of bilateral talks at Indonesia’s trade ministry. He said, “With this PTA, we hope to widen our market reach and export opportunities in the Middle East and Persia.”
Indonesia, the Southeast Asia’s largest economy, is seeking the latest markets to diversify its export options and reduce its reliance on traditional trade partners, several of which have been affected by a weakened world economy and geopolitical risks.
In February, Raisi met with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to seek further cooperation following their meeting last September in Uzbekistan, when Xi underscored China’s support for Iran.
