Indonesian President Jokowi Widodo will hold a bilateral meeting with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in Malacanang next week during the foreign leader’s three-day official visit, the Department of Foreign Affairs said.
In a statement on Thursday, DFA said that Widodo will be in the country from Jan. 9 to Jan. 11.
“President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. is pleased to welcome His Excellency Joko Widodo, President of the Republic of Indonesia, for his upcoming official visit to the Philippines,” the DFA said.
“The Philippines and Indonesia, both founding members of ASEAN, are close neighbors and partners that have enjoyed longstanding and robust cooperation in a wide range of areas in the political, economic, and people-to-people relations,” it added.
The DFA said the meeting between President Marcos and Widodo is scheduled for Jan. 10.
President Marcos went to Indonesia in September 2022 for his first state visit, months after he ascended to the presidency,
Widodo, who served as governor of Jakarta from 2012-2014 and mayor of Surakarta from 2005-2012, was the first Indonesian leader to emerge from outside Indonesia’s political and military elite.
The DFA meanwhile said Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi is visiting the Philippines next week to discuss with his counterpart regional issues and ways to take the two nations’ bilateral cooperation to a higher level.
Marsudi will co-chair with Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo the Ministerial Meeting of the 7th Philippines-Indonesia Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) in Manila on Jan. 9.
DFA spokesperson Ma. Teresita Daza said the two ministers would review the accomplishments of the two nations’ collaboration initiatives, exchange views on issues of mutual interest, and consider plans for enhancing cooperation.
“The two ministers are also expected to exchange views on key regional and international issues of common concern for the Philippines and Indonesia,” she added.
READ: ASEAN tells parties to restore mutual trust amid tensions in SCS
Manalo and Marsudi, together with other foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, earlier raised concern over the growing tensions surrounding the South China Sea.
The top diplomats called on all parties in the maritime row to restore mutual trust and confidence as the recent developments in the area threaten regional peace and stability.
The upcoming ministerial meeting follows the Senior Officials’ Meeting of the 7th JCBC, which was convened via virtual format in April 2022.
