Malaysia’s Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim, and Indonesia’s President, Prabowo Subianto, have agreed to enhance strategic cooperation in various fields, including the economy, energy, and defense.

Jakarta (Indonesia Window) – Indonesia's President, Prabowo Subianto, and  Malaysia's Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim, have agreed to strengthen strategic cooperation in various fields, including the economy, energy, and defense.

The agreement was reached in their meeting at the Petronas Twin Towers, Kuala Lumpur, Monday (Jan. 27), according to the Indonesian Cabinet Secretariat in a written statement quoted by Indonesia Window on Wednesday.

In the meeting, the two leaders emphasized their commitment to increasing synergy between the two related countries. President Prabowo underscored the importance of the special relationship between Indonesia and Malaysia.

"We have historical ties. We have blood ties. We have cultural ties. We even have ethnic ties. If I'm not mistaken, many Malaysian leaders still have families in Indonesia. There are so many of these ties. So I feel that this should make the relationship between Malaysia and Indonesia more unique," President Prabowo explained.

One of the main outcomes of this meeting was an agreement to strengthen cooperation in the energy sector.

Malaysian Prime Minister (PM), Anwar Ibrahim, said that strengthening cooperation could be realized through strategic collaboration between Petronas (a Malaysian multinational oil and gas company) and Pertamina (Indonesia’s state-owned oil and gas company).

"Our commitment is to guarantee cooperation between Petronas and Pertamina. Two oil and gas companies in the region agree to explore new things and also transfers between the countries," PM Anwar said.

In addition, the two leaders also discussed cooperation in the fields of trade and investment, including the management of the palm oil industry which is the main commodity of both countries.

President Prabowo said that Indonesia and Malaysia are the largest producers of palm oil in the world, reaching 80 percent of the global production.

"Every time I go to certain countries, they always say they need palm oil. (Those countries include) Egypt, India, Pakistan. So I think we can do a lot. And thank you for the continued support from Malaysia in these matters," he said.

Cooperation in the defense sector was also one of the main agendas at the meeting. PM ​​Anwar highlighted the importance of collaboration with Indonesia which has experience and strength in this sector.

"Both parties agreed to mobilize all available forces including the defense sector, in which Indonesia has a lot of experience and strength," he said.

Meanwhile, in the regional context, the two leaders agreed to strengthen coordination in facing geopolitical challenges. The two countries also showed the same stance regarding the Palestinian issue.

"Our Palestinian issue is on the same line. We continue to support Palestinian independence. And we are very firm that the only solution is a two-state solution," President Prabowo said.

The meeting was closed with an agreement to accelerate the implementation of cooperation through intensive coordination between related ministries in both countries.

Anwar emphasized the importance of concrete steps to ensure the success of this cooperation.

"We have both given clear instructions to the relevant countries and departments in addition to the private sector to make improvements," he said.

Reporting by Indonesia Window