JAKARTA: Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) held a bilateral meeting with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol at the Presidential Palace, Jakarta, on Friday, reported ANTARA news agency.
The Indonesian head of state, accompanied by First Lady Iriana, welcomed the arrival of President Yoon and his spouse Kim Keon Hee in the courtyard of the palace.
After listening to the national anthems of the two countries, President Jokowi then invited his Korean counterpart, along with his delegation, to head for the Oval Room of the palace to commence the bilateral meeting.
“First of all, I would like to extend my gratitude to you for your support for the chairmanship of Indonesia in Asean as well as your very meaningful visit, especially since our countries are entering the 50th year of relationship this year,“ Jokowi told Yoon.
Indonesia, as the 2023 chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), held the 43rd Asean Summit in its capital city on September 5-7. The summit drew participation not only from ASEAN members but also from countries outside Southeast Asia, including South Korea.
The 43rd ASEAN Summit involved a series of activities, including the 24th ASEAN-Korea Summit that took place on Wednesday (September 6), when President Yoon said that his country had launched the Korea-ASEAN Solidarity Initiative (KASI) in 2022.
He stated that the initiative affirmed South Korea's support for ASEAN's centrality as well as efforts to strengthen strategic cooperation on politics and security and explore cooperation opportunities on the development of digital infrastructure and climate change handling.
During the ASEAN-Korea Summit, countries of ASEAN and South Korea agreed to issue the Joint Statement of the 24th ASEAN-Republic of Korea Summit on Cooperation on the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP).
Yoon then highlighted that his government will organise the World Expo 2023 in Busan, South Korea.
He also expressed hope that South Korea would be able to share valuable experiences with ASEAN on how his country managed to emerge as a renowned nation in only half a century.
