Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi met his Indonesian counterpart, Joko Widodo, on Tuesday on a visit aimed at strengthening economic ties between the two Muslim-majority nations amid heightened global geopolitical tensions.
Widodo hosted Raisi at the colonial-style presidential palace in Bogor, just outside the capital, Jakarta. Raisi is visiting at Widodo’s invitation as Indonesia aims to speed up its post-pandemic economic recovery by increasing exports.
The two-day visit is expected to deepen Iran’s ties with Indonesia after the two nations concluded negotiations this month on a Preferential Trade Agreement. The two leaders witnessed the signing of that pact and 10 other agreements Tuesday.
At a joint news conference after meeting with Raisi, Widodo said they discussed expanding export opportunities in the Middle East and Iran and opportunities for Iranian businesses to invest in the development of Indonesia’s new capital on Borneo island.
Raisi said the countries hope to raise the value of their two-way trade to $20 billion.
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