Jakarta (Indonesia Window) – The governments of Indonesia and Colombia agreed to strengthen cooperation that has been established for 40 years, in the first virtual political consultations on Tuesday (Nov 3).

At the meeting, the Indonesian Delegation was chaired by the Director General of America and Europe at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ngurah Swajaya, while the Colombian Delegation was chaired by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Francisco Javier Echeverri.

"Colombia appreciates the political consultation meeting as one of the important achievements in 40 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries," Echeverri said.

Meanwhile, Ngurah Swajaya said the meeting was driven by the desire of the two countries to strengthen cooperation amid the current multi-dimensional challenges faced by the countries around the world.

The political consultation was a follow-up to the meeting between the Indonesian and Colombian Foreign Ministers on August 5, in which the two governments also signed the Visa Exemption Agreement for regular passport holders to increase economic and tourism interactions.

In addition, several areas of bilateral cooperation have also been agreed to be enhanced, namely health, in particular the exchange of information to strengthen public health resilience, including the development of tele-medicines (digital-based health services); high level visits; anti-narcotics; agriculture, marine and fisheries; culture and sports; creative industry; and diplomatic education.

"We also agreed that trade and investment between the two countries would increase through various efforts, including the proposal on ​​making a preferential trade agreement to enhance market access of each country," said Ngurah Swajaya.

The Indonesian delegation also explained the government's efforts and breakthroughs in simplifying regulations, improving business conditions, and increasing national competitiveness.

Within the regional framework, the two delegations discussed cooperation in ASEAN and the Pacific Alliance.

The Colombian government ensures the participation of its entrepreneurs in the Indonesia-Latin America and the Caribbean (INA-LAC) Business Forum 2020 which will be held by the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on November 9-11, 2020.

Colombia is Indonesia's 7th largest trading partner in the Latin America and Caribbean region, with a trade value of 152 million U.S. dollars in 2019.

Indonesia and Colombia established diplomatic relations on September 15, 1980.

The Political Consultations between the two countries will be held regularly every year.

Reporting by Indonesia Window