The Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment (Menko Marves), Luhut Pandjaitan, once again met with the Minister of Energy and Infrastructure of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei, to discuss the technical continuation of investment cooperation in several sectors.
Quoting information shared by Luhut on his official Instagram account on Friday, February 2, 2024, Indonesia and the UAE’s cooperation will focus on eight sectors that have been agreed upon. One of them is investment cooperation to develop the Nusantara Capital (IKN).
“This meeting with him [Minister Suhail] is a follow-up meeting to discuss in detail the technical cooperation of eight sectors that we have agreed upon. Starting from the construction of oil refineries, renewable energy, investment in the Nusantara Capital,” Luhut said.
The meeting, which was held a day earlier, also discussed cooperation in the industrial sector for aircraft maintenance and repair, ports, defense and satellite programs, mangrove forest development, as well as food and energy security.
Indonesia and the UAE’s cooperation in these eight sectors will begin with three specific issues: sustainable energy, electric vehicle investment and environmental issues, and climate change mitigation.
“We agree to continue to promote mutually beneficial, sustainable, and innovative cooperation for both countries. We also want this cooperation to be a pioneer in the global development agenda, considering that these two friendly countries have made significant progress in various sectors, including trade, investment, and citizen relations,” said Luhut.
Previously, a similar sentiment was expressed by the SOE Minister Erick Thohir, who mentioned that the Indonesia-UAE meeting discussed ongoing cooperation. Erick explained that previously President Joko Widodo along with the UAE government had agreed to cooperate with a total investment value reaching US$20 billion or around Rp314.15 trillion.
“Because when President Jokowi met with the UAE President, the agreement was approximately at US$20 billion, so this is what we align with,” Erick said in Jakarta on Thursday. Erick mentioned that amidst geopolitical turmoil in various countries, issues of food and energy security are among those prioritized.
