Muhyiddin to make two-day official visit to Indonesia

 

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin will make a two-day official visit to Indonesia, beginning tomorrow, at the invitation of Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi).

The prime minister and his wife, Noorainee Abdul Rahman, are scheduled to arrive at the Halim Perdanakusuma Airport, Jakarta at 5pm.

Malaysian Ambassador to Indonesia Zainal Abidin Bakar said it would be Muhyiddin's first visit to Indonesia after being appointed as the eighth prime minister on March 1, 2020.

“There are several things that touch the interests of both countries that require the highest level, face-to-face and heart-to-heart discussions,” he told a press conference at the Malaysian Embassy in Jakarta today.

On Friday, the prime minister will be given an official welcoming ceremony at the Istana Merdeka in Jakarta, and then the two leaders will hold a meeting before conducting a joint press conference.

"Among the issues expected to be discussed are related to palm oil discrimination, haze, potential investment and trade joint ventures, implementation of the Reciprocal Green Lane (RGL), and cooperation in addressing Covid-19," he said.

Zainal Abidin said the delegation would follow a strict health protocol including undergoing swab test before departure, on arrival, as well as quarantine upon returning to Malaysia on Friday evening.

"Recognising the importance of Malaysia-Indonesia bilateral ties and the Covid-19 pandemic challenges, the prime minister himself has requested that the visit be held briefly with small delegations.

"Indonesia also respects this request; initially the official welcoming ceremony was planned to be held at Istana Bogor but later changed to Istana Merdeka in Jakarta because Indonesia understands the situation and the importance of logistics during the pandemic," he said.

Indonesia is Malaysia's ninth largest trading partner globally and the third largest among Asean countries.

Several world leaders had also visited Indonesia and met Jokowi during the Covid-19 pandemic, including Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga in October 2020, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (October 2020) and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (Jan 13, 2021).

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein is also scheduled to arrive tomorrow morning, and will hold a meeting with Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi.

- Bernama