Pakistan, Indonesia agree to strengthen economic, trade ties

CAIRO: Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif met with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto on the sidelines of the 11th Summit of the Developing Eight (D-8) countries being held in Cairo, Egypt, ARY News reported.

PM Shehbaz and President Prabowo Subianto discussed bilateral relations, including political, trade, and economic ties, a press statement issued by the PM Office read.

The two leaders emphasised the need to strengthen economic and trade relations and agreed to maintain close contact to foster bilateral cooperation.

PM Shehbaz appreciated Indonesia’s role as a reliable trading partner of Pakistan, particularly in providing palm oil. “Pakistan imports a significant portion of its edible oil requirements from Indonesia,” the prime minister said.

PM Shehbaz also thanked Indonesia for its support in Pakistan’s bid to become a sectoral dialogue partner in Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and a member of its Regional Forum.

PM Shehbaz expressed hope that with Indonesia’s cooperation and support, Pakistan would become a full dialogue partner of ASEAN.

The two leaders also reaffirmed their unwavering support for Palestine and called for a comprehensive solution to the issue. They emphasised the need for a ceasefire in Gaza and a two-state solution to establish an independent Palestinian state.

PM Shehbaz extended an invitation to the Indonesia president to visit Pakistan, which was accepted by Prabowo Subianto..

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar and Federal Minister for Information & Broadcasting Ataullah Tarar were also present on the occasion.

The prime minister is currently on an official visit to Egypt and leading the Pakistan delegation at the 11th Summit of the D-8 countries.

The theme of the 11th D-8 Summit is “Investing in Youth and Supporting SMEs: Shaping Tomorrow’s Economy.”

Founded in 1997 in Istanbul, the D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation, also known as Developing-8, is an organisation for development co-operation among Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Turkiye.

Its objective is to increase economic cooperation among Member States to boost economic growth, sustain development and promote and improve standards of living by focusing on bringing improvement and enhancing cooperation in agriculture, trade, transportation, industry, energy and tourism.