The President of Turkiye and Ambassador Rizal agreed to achieve the bilateral trade target of 10 billion U.S. dollars among other things.

Jakarta (Indonesia Window) – The President of Turkiye, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has underscored that Indonesia and his country play roles in the Palestinian issue, the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported in a written statement as quoted by Indonesia Window on Saturday.

Erdogan made the remarks when Indonesia’s Ambassador to Turkiye, Achmad Rizal Purnama, handed over credentials from the president of Indonesia to the president of Turkiye at a ceremony which took place in Ankara (Jan. 17).

The bilateral conversation between President Erdogan and the Indonesian ambassador took place in the living room of Turkiye’s Presidential Palace.

Ambassador Rizal said that President Erdogan pays special attention to Indonesia which continues to monitor the Palestinian issue in various international fora.

"President Erdogan was impressed when I showed a video of the closeness of President Erdogan and President Joko Widodo holding hands on the sidelines of the OIC Summit in Riyadh some time ago, a video of me driving an electric car made by Turkiye, TOGG, and my frequent visit to various defense industries in Turkiye in the last three months," Ambassador Rizal noted.

The meeting lasted longer than scheduled and involved important figures accompanying President Erdogan including Chief Presidential Advisor Mr. Akif Cagatay Kilic and Head of National Communications Mr. Fahrettin Altun, as well as the Director General of Asia Pacific at Turkish Foreign Ministry, Ambassador Esra Cankorur.

Ambassador Rizal was accompanied by his family, Defense Attache of the Indonesian Embassy in Ankara, Colonel M. Amir Aliakbar and Political Function I of the Indonesian Embassy in Ankara, Dhanny Perkasa.

During the meeting, Recep Tayyip Erdogan also prayed that the upcoming Indonesian elections would run smoothly and successfully, and bring goodness and progress to Indonesia and the people.

Ambassador Rizal also conveyed the priority of bilateral cooperation 1+4 in the fields of trade as well as cooperation in defense and strategic industries, energy, construction and pharmaceuticals.

On the occasion, the President of Turkiye and Ambassador Rizal agreed to achieve the bilateral trade target of 10 billion U.S. dollars, complete negotiations on a free trade agreement between the two countries, expand defense industry cooperation, strengthen security cooperation and counter terrorism, and develop energy cooperation.

Ambassador Rizal has carried out his duties in Turkiye since early September 2023, after being appointed by the Indonesian president on June 26, 2023.

By handing over the letter of credence, Ambassador Rizal has fulfilled all stages of diplomatic etiquette to carry out his duties fully as the representative of the Indonesian government in Turkiye.

Reporting by Indonesia Window