Jakarta, 30 October 2023(TDI) The Indonesian Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, and the Lithuanian Foreign Minister, Gabrielius Landsbergis, met in Jakarta on Monday to celebrate 30 years of friendship and diplomatic relations between Indonesia and Lithuania. They also agreed to increase cooperation and investment in various sectors.
Indonesia and Lithuania started their diplomatic relations on September 7, 1992, after Lithuania became independent from the Soviet Union.
The two countries have maintained good and respectful relations, based on shared values and interests. They have also worked together in multilateral forums, such as the United Nations, the European Union, and ASEAN.
Minister Marsudi thanked Lithuania for supporting Indonesia’s bid to be a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for 2024-2025. She also said that Indonesia wanted to grow trade and investment with Lithuania, especially in renewable energy, digital economy, and tourism.
According to the Indonesian Trade Ministry, bilateral trade between Indonesia and Lithuania was US$53.7 million in 2022, with a trade deficit of 5.12 percent from 2018 to 2022. In the first half of this year, trade between the two countries increased by almost 43 percent from last year.
To improve trade and balance it, Marsudi asked Landsbergis to help more Indonesian products enter the Lithuanian market. Those products include rubber products, paper, and wooden furniture. She also praised the export of palm oil from Indonesia to Lithuania.
“Almost 800 plantations in Indonesia have ISPO (Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil) certification, so I am sure that Indonesia can provide more sustainable palm oil to Lithuania and the wider European market,” she said.
To strengthen business relations, Marsudi welcomed the plan to sign an MoU between the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN) and the Lithuanian Confederation of Industrialists (LPK) during Landsbergis’ visit to Jakarta.
The MoU will help information exchange, market access, and joint projects between the private sectors of both countries.
In investment, Indonesia appreciated the expansion of investment of the Lithuanian aviation industry at the I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, Bali, and Lithuania’s new charter airlines and air transportation services.
These investments will create more jobs and increase tourism between the two countries.
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The two ministers also talked about how to increase cooperation in information technology, liquefied natural gas (LNG) and renewable energy, agriculture, and space technology sectors. They agreed to look for new opportunities for collaboration and innovation in these fields.
Landsbergis said that the two countries have the same interests in diversifying supply chains, strengthening cyber security, and improving resilience against hybrid threats.
He also stressed Lithuania’s support for the Indonesia-European Union Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IEU-CEPA), which is being negotiated now.
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