Jakarta (Indonesia Window) – Indonesia and Ireland are committed to encouraging concrete cooperation in the fields of politics, economy, digital and creative industry as well as education and culture to strengthen the people-to-people contacts between the two countries.

The commitment was made during a bilateral consultation between Indonesia and Ireland which took place in Jakarta, Thursday (Oct. 13), according to the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a written statement here, Friday.

For the first time, the bilateral consultation between Indonesia and Ireland were held at the director general level, the ministry said, adding that previously, a meeting at the director level was held before the 2019 pandemic in Dublin, Ireland.

In the trade sector, the Director General of America and Europe at the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Umar Hadi, as the Head of the Indonesian Delegation, expressed his optimism that there were many opportunities to increase the value of the bilateral trade.

Thus, efforts are needed to encourage the intensity of meetings and contacts between business people from the two countries.

Indonesia hopes for Ireland's support so that negotiations of the I-EU CEPA (Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement between Indonesia and the European Union) can be immediately agreed to open up new cooperation opportunities.

In the creative industry sector, Umar Hadi hopes that concrete cooperation between Indonesia and Ireland can support the development of the former’s creative industry ecosystem, including strengthening human resource capacity in the field of event management and post production management.

He also encourages cooperation in the development and utilization of Indonesian creative talents (talent pool) so that they can play a role in the global arena.

The Head of the Irish Delegation, Director General of Economy and Asia Pacific at the Irish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Gerard Keown, underlined Ireland's high interest in strengthening cooperation with Indonesia.

Keown also expects many Irish companies to invest in Indonesia.

Currently, there are dozens of Irish companies in Indonesia, including in the creative industry sector, especially in the area of animation, said Keown who specifically conveyed Ireland's interest in increasing cooperation in the field of higher education.

The two delegations also discussed the potential for developing forest energy, especially the biomass and bio-energy production, which supports efforts to reduce emissions and expand alternative renewable energy sources in the midst of today's energy security challenges.

During the meeting, the two directors general also exchanged views on regional and global issues such as the G-20, Indonesia's chairmanship in ASEAN in 2023, Indonesia-European Union relations, Russia and Ukraine issues, as well as mutual support for candidacy in various international organizations.

Reporting by Indonesia Window