Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi highlighted five key issues during his recent visit to Finland in his meetings with Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Foreign Minister Elina Valdonen.
He discussed promoting trade and investment, fostering academic cooperation, exploring energy sector cooperation, advanced smart cities initiatives and addressing humanitarian issues related to the conflicts in Ukraine and Palestine.
„Indonesia and Finland have agreed to continue to explore potential opportunities to enhance trade,” Redno Marsudi said in a statement released on Sunday, June 16, 2024.
This engagement highlights Finland as an important trading partner in the Nordic region. Rednow noted that bilateral trade volume has continued to increase, surpassing pre-pandemic levels.
Last year, trade value between Indonesia and Finland reached US$713 million (Rp11.7 billion), representing a 22 percent increase from 2019. In the first quarter of this year, it was up another 40 percent compared to the same period last year.
Both countries have agreed to encourage more Finnish investment in Indonesia, especially in the fields of green energy and smart cities.
In the field of education cooperation, Retno praised the successful convening of the 1st Indonesia-Finland Joint Working Group on Higher Education and Teacher Capacity Development in September 2023.
Both countries are committed to enhancing academic cooperation through faculty and student exchange, joint research initiatives and scholarship programs.
In energy cooperation, Retno highlighted Finland’s strong capabilities in renewable energy. He mentioned the agreement between Indonesia’s Metco Group and Finland’s Valmet Technologies to build a 3.5 megawatts (MW) biomass processing plant in Merak, Papua. The project is expected to reduce diesel fuel consumption by 27.5 million liters over five years. Both countries will continue to explore other green energy collaborations.
Regarding smart cities, Retno emphasized the existing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Nusantara Capital City (IKN) Authority and the Ministry of Economic Affairs of Finland. He hoped that the MoU would pave the way for further cooperation in developing Indonesia’s new capital, especially in attracting Finnish investment.
In his meeting with President Stubb, Retno expressed hope that Finland would soon recognize the Palestinian state, underscoring the importance of such recognition in supporting a two-state solution as a possible path to resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Finland remains committed to this settlement, seeing it as an important step towards lasting peace. UN proposes three-phase ceasefire Both countries pledged to implement Security Council Resolution 2735.
Retno also acknowledged Finland’s support for humanitarian aid, including financial assistance to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).