President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) and Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. witnessed the inking of four memoranda of understanding (MoUs) on bilateral cooperation in various sectors.
“I invite the Philippines to continue to develop trade potentials (between the countries) as well as connectivity in border areas,” Jokowi stated during a joint press conference with President Marcos at the Bogor Presidential Palace, Bogor City, West Java Province, on Monday.
During the joint press conference in the Lotus Room of the palace, the four MoUs were shown by related officials from respective countries.
One of the documents agreed upon was the Plan of Action (PoA) for Bilateral Cooperation of Indonesia and the Philippines in 2022-2027.
The PoA will become a guidance in strengthening collaboration between both nations in the fields of politics, law, security, economy, culture, tourism, and consular affairs as well as mutual support for candidacy in various international institutions.
The other MoU included the Agreement on Cooperative Activities in the Field of Defense and Security that was a renewal of the Indonesia and the Philippine defense cooperation agreement signed in 1997.
The cooperation comprised joint exercises and operations, human resource development, defense technology development, and logistical cooperation.
Furthermore, the agreement contained a MoU on Cultural Cooperation that aims to improve collaborations on bilateral participation in art festivals, such as films, music, and book fairs; translation of literary works; as well as prevention of illegal trade of cultural objects.
In addition, the agreed documents included a MoU for Cooperation in the Development and Promotion of the Creative Economy that facilitated collaborations in improving and bolstering creative industries of the two countries.
The cooperation agreements in the MoU comprised creative services, audio-visual, art, books, and media sectors.
The two countries will establish the Indonesia-Philippines Joint Task Force to monitor and evaluate the implementation of the agreements.
Source: Antara News