Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Airlangga Hartarto, invited greater investment from Saudi Arabia during a meeting with Saudi Ambassador to Indonesia Faisal bin Abdullah Al-Amudi in Jakarta on Monday, July 29, 2024.
“There are around 1.4 million Indonesians performing haj and umrah annually. Let say, the average spending per person is US$5,000, the Indonesian pilgrims then contribute about US$7 billion (Rp114.25 trillion) in foreign exchange to Saudi Arabia each year. Therefore, Saudi also needs to increase its investment in Indonesia,” Airlangga said in a statement as quoted by katadata.co.id on Tuesday, July 30, 2024.
Airlangga emphasized the need to expand cooperation in the economic and investment sectors, noting that the collaboration in Haj and Umrah operations has been smooth.
Ambassador Faisal encouraged private sector entities, such as Aramco and Acwa Power, to increase their collaboration and investment in Indonesia, pointing out that while Aramco is present in countries like Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand, its investment in Indonesia remains limited.
As a concrete step, Airlangga revealed that the Indonesian government has allocated at least 15 hectares of land in Batam, Riau Islands, for the construction of iconic monuments, such as a mosque and an Islamic Center, aimed at attracting more Saudi investment.
Faisal expressed his intention to visit the site and explore broader economic cooperation opportunities in Batam.
Additionally, Airlangga discussed a proposal from President-elect Prabowo Subianto for the construction of an “Indonesian Village” in Mecca.
Faisal responded positively to this proposal, expressing confidence that the relationship between Indonesia and Saudi Arabia would grow stronger.
This proposal has already been a topic of discussion in meetings between Prabowo and representatives from Saudi Arabia.
This meeting reflects the efforts of both countries to strengthen bilateral relations not only in religious contexts but also in the economic and investment sectors.
