Islamabad (TDI): Indonesia has expressed readiness to work closely with Pakistan in key sectors including palm oil and agriculture, as senior officials from both countries held talks in Islamabad aimed at deepening bilateral cooperation.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar said on Tuesday that the visit of Indonesia’s Minister of Investment and Downstream Industry, and Chief Executive Officer of the Indonesian Sovereign Wealth Fund (Danantara), Rosan Roeslani, was both timely and significant. He noted that the visit followed recent high-level exchanges between the leadership of Pakistan and Indonesia.
Minister Roeslani arrived in Islamabad on Monday evening at Dar’s invitation. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he was received at the airport by the Director General for East Asia and the Pacific and the Indonesian ambassador to Pakistan.
In his welcome remarks at the opening session, Dar said recent interactions between the two sides had been wide-ranging and productive. He highlighted discussions covering agriculture, information technology, trade, the economy, artificial intelligence, as well as security and defense, and expressed satisfaction over the positive momentum in bilateral relations.
The deputy prime minister said Pakistan and Indonesia, as the world’s two most populous Muslim-majority countries, enjoyed strong ties and shared vast untapped potential for cooperation. He also pointed to close coordination between the two countries at multilateral forums, particularly the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, the United Nations and other international platforms.
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Dar introduced members of the Pakistani delegation, which included Federal Minister for National Health Services Syed Mustafa Kamal, Minister of State for Investment Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Tariq Bajwa, and senior officials from relevant ministries.
Minister Roeslani thanked Dar for the warm welcome and hospitality, saying he had been tasked by the Indonesian president to engage with Pakistan’s leadership and stakeholders to further strengthen collaboration between the two countries.
Giving an overview of Indonesia’s economy, Roeslani said domestic consumption contributed around 53 to 54 percent of growth, while investment accounted for nearly 29 to 30 percent. Government spending made up about 7 to 8 percent, with net exports contributing roughly 2 percent, underscoring the importance of investment to Indonesia’s economic growth.
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He said the Danantara Investment Fund was established in February 2025 through the consolidation of state-owned enterprises, bringing together 1,044 companies with assets close to one trillion dollars. The fund, he added, reports directly to the president and reinvests dividends from state-owned enterprises without drawing on the national budget.
Roeslani said Indonesia was keen to explore joint opportunities with Pakistan, including collaboration with investment funds and relevant institutions, particularly in palm oil, agriculture and other priority sectors. He expressed optimism that the visit would lead to concrete and mutually beneficial outcomes.
The visit is part of a broader series of bilateral engagements between Pakistan and Indonesia. In January, both countries signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a Joint Trade Committee, creating a formal mechanism to strengthen trade dialogue.
Earlier, in December, Pakistan and Indonesia signed seven memoranda of understanding and agreements to expand cooperation in areas such as higher education, Indonesian state scholarships, support for small and medium enterprises, collaboration between national archives, narcotics control and countering illicit drug trafficking, halal trade and certification, and cooperation in the health sector.
