Turkey has 'close, strong' cooperation with Indonesia, says FM

Turkey and Indonesia enjoy "close and strong" cooperation, said Turkey’s top diplomat on Friday in the capital Ankara.

Addressing the inauguration ceremony of the new Indonesian Embassy building, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said despite the large distance between them, the friendship between the two nations dates back to the 15th century.

Speaking alongside his visiting Indonesian counterpart Retno Marsudi, Cavusoglu underlined that bilateral relations were recently upgraded to a "strategic partnership" and that since the mutual establishment of embassies in the late 1950s, ties between the countries have continually improved.

Describing his official talks with the visiting Marsudi as "very beneficial," he said: "In addition to global matters, we are in close cooperation and coordination on regional matters as well. As G20 countries, economic cooperation is at the forefront of our agenda."

"The high-level diplomatic talks are focused on improving our relations and cooperation in many fields, including but not limited to cooperation in the defense industry," he added.

- Visit to Jakarta

Cavusoglu also said that they are preparing for an official visit to Indonesia by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

"We will be signing almost 20 documents and agreements (during the visit) and we are negotiating on them as well," he said.

On bilateral trade, the minister said that it recently reached an annual total of $2.16 billion, a leap of 57%.

"We have set the target of reaching $10 billion in terms of bilateral trade and in order to reach that target we will continue to work day and night," he said, adding that "a very comprehensive" trade agreement will be signed to boost trade "in the soonest time possible."

Thanking Indonesia for its support during Turkey's turn at the helm of the MIKTA group, Cavusoglu said Ankara will continue to support Indonesia's efforts during its G20 term presidency.

Established in 2013, MIKTA is an informal partnership made up of Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea, Turkey, and Australia.

He concluded by wishing all the best to the new Indonesian Embassy building in Ankara.

For her part, Marsudi said: "This new building reflects a new spirit and new energy to further solidify Indonesian-Turkish relations"

"We also discussed how the G20 must stay on track, delivering concrete deliverables to the people of the world amidst this very challenging situation," she said.