Azernews.Az

By Rasana Gasimova

Indonesia's Yogyakarta Special Region and East Java are interested in establishing interregional cooperation with Azerbaijani cities, the heads of the two regions said at the meeting with Azerbaijani Ambassador to Indonesia Jalal Mirzayev on January 8.

Mirzayev first met with Governor of Yogyakarta Special Region Hamengkubuwono X. He gave information about Azerbaijan’s ancient history and rich culture, its economic development and the ongoing reforms. Mirzayev also touched upon the Armenian aggression against Azerbaijan.

The parties exchanged views on issues of mutual investment, cooperation in the tourism sector, expansion of educational relations, and establishment of relations between the regions of Azerbaijan and Indonesia.

Speaking about the prospects of bilateral cooperation, Hamengkubuwono X said that Yogyakarta Special Region specializes in education and tourism and is ready to cooperate with Azerbaijan in these areas. He also stressed the importance of interregional relations and welcomed the idea of establishing fraternal relations regions and cities of the two countries.

Ambassador Jalal Mirzayev met with Khofifah Indar Parawansa, Governor of Indonesia's East Java province.

The parties discussed cooperation in tourism, mutual investment, education and other areas, establishment of contacts between the regions of the two countries, as well as the possibility of holding joint cultural events, business forums, tourism exhibitions and conferences.

Paravansa gave detailed information on the rapid economic development of the province, its favourable strategic position and export potential. She stressed that economic and cultural cooperation could be established between Azerbaijani regions and East Java, noting that the province is one of Indonesia's most favourable regions for investment. She noted that it is important to work towards attracting the local population interested in religious tourism to Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijani-Indonesian relations were officially established in 1992. Both countries are members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Non-Aligned Movement.

The trade between Azerbaijan and Indonesia is mostly related to the energy sector, as Azerbaijan emerged as the second biggest supplier of crude oil to Indonesia in 2011 after Saudi Arabia.

In March, 2016, Azerbaijan and Indonesia drafted a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to further deepen cooperation in the energy and mineral resources sectors. Moreover, the Indonesian government encouraged the country’s state oil and gas company Pertamina to invest in Azerbaijan’s oil and gas projects.

In the past five years, the trade between Azerbaijan and Indonesia amounted to more than $7 billion.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz