Sheikh Mohamed with Joko Widodo during a reception at the Bogor Presidential Palace, Indonesia, on Wednesday. WAM

The warm, strong friendship bonds between the UAE and Indonesia were on full display on Wednesday when Indonesian President Joko Widodo personally greeted His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, on the tarmac at the Soekarno Hatta International Airport.

A privilege only given to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia, when he visited Indonesia in March, 2017.

The Indonesian President then escorted his guest to Bogor Presidential Palace for a welcoming ceremony, and invited Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed to visit the Selamat Datang Monument (Hotel Indonesia Roundabout) a historic landmark of Jakarta.

Mohammed Bin Zayed and Joko Widodo walk as they inspect honour guards during their meeting in Bogor on Wednesday. Reuters

Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed planted an Agathis dammara, a coniferous timber tree native to Indonesia.

Two preliminary agreements between global trade enabler DP World and Indonesia’s leading conglomerate Maspion Group were signed today to create a $1.2 billion container port and industrial logistics park in East Java.

The exchange of agreements were witnessed by Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed and Joko Widodo.

It is the first joint venture of its kind in the Indonesian transportation sector involving a private sector partnership between an FDI partner and a private sector Indonesian company in Maspion, within the context of cooperation in maritime services with the state-owned maritime services operator Pelindo III.

Sheikh Mohamed greets youth delegation as Joko Widodo looks on during a reception at the Bogor Presidential Palace. WAM

Two term sheet agreements aim to create a modern, integrated container terminal and industrial logistics park, expected to play a vital role as a trade gateway for Eastern Java. It includes cooperation in setting up Maspion International Container Port in Gresik, East Java, with an investment of $1.2 billion and three million TEU’s of capacity using electric power in its operations to help cut carbon emissions.

An integrated 360 hectare industrial and logistics park could also provide a world class trade environment for Indonesian and international businesses to help drive economic growth and job creation.

The project is expected to break ground later this year and commercial operations are being planned for the first half of 2022. The vision is to support East Java’s infrastructure as part of President Joko Widodo’s programme to accelerate economic growth.

Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed and Joko Widodo witnessed the signing of agreements and Memoranda of Understanding for joint action between the two countries across various sectors.

The agreements are as follows:

1) An agreement on the protection and promotion of investments was signed from the UAE side by Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of State, and Retno Marsudi, Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed greets members of an Indonesian youth delegation. WAM

2) A Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, for the establishment of a joint consular committee was also signed by Al Jaber and Marsudi.

3) An MoU in defence cooperation was signed by Al Jaber and Ryamizard Ryacudu, Minister of Defence of Indonesia.

4) An MoU in the field of fisheries on behalf of the UAE’s Ministry of Climate Change and the Environment was inked by Al Jaber and Susi Pudjiastuti, Indonesia’s Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries.

5) An agreement to amend the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement was signed on 11th November, 1995, by Al Jaber and Indonesia’s Finance Minister, Sri Mulyani.

6) A cooperation agreement in the field of mutual administrative assistance in customs affairs was signed by Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansouri, Minister of Economy, and Mulyani.

7) An MoU in the tourism sector was signed by the UAE’s Minister of Economy and Arief Yahya, Indonesia’s Minister of Tourism.

8) An MoU on cultural cooperation was signed by Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development, and Muhadjir Effendy, Indonesia’s Minister of Education and Culture.

9) An MoU on industry development was signed by Suhail bin Mohammed Faraj Faris Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Industry, and Airlangga Hartarto, Indonesia’s Minister of Industry.

10) A comprehensive strategic framework agreement in the field of refining, petrochemicals, retail, marketing of LPG and liquefied natural gas was signed by Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of State and ADNOC Group CEO, and Nicke Widyawati, CEO of Pertamina.

WAM