WORLD NEWS | Iranian leaders visit Indonesia to deepen economic ties amid global geopolitical challenges

BOGOR (Indonesia), May 23 (AP) — Iranian President Ibrahim Raisy will meet Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Tuesday for a two-day visit aimed at amid global geopolitical tensions. Strengthen economic ties between Muslim-majority countries amid heightened tensions.

Indonesia’s foreign ministry said Resi was visiting at Widodo’s invitation as Indonesia aimed to speed up its post-pandemic recovery by boosting exports.

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Indonesia’s trade ministry said the visit was expected to deepen Iran-Indonesia ties as Tehran seeks alternatives to U.S.-led Western-dominated international affairs and after the two countries concluded talks on an Indonesia-Iran preferential trade agreement this month. Looking for further cooperation.

Indonesia and Iran traded at $54.1 million between January and March, while bilateral trade rose more than 23 percent to $257.2 million last year, the ministry’s data showed.

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Iran is a non-traditional trading partner for Indonesia, said Johnny Martha, Director of Bilateral Negotiations at the Indonesian Trade Ministry. “Through this PTA, we hope to expand our market reach and export opportunities in the Middle East and Persia,” he said.

Southeast Asia’s largest economy is looking for new markets to diversify its export options and reduce reliance on traditional trading partners, many of which have been affected by global economic weakness and geopolitical risks.

Rice met with Chinese President Xi Jinping to seek further cooperation following a meeting in Uzbekistan last September, when Xi emphasized China’s support for Iran.

Both countries have strained relations with the United States and have sought to present themselves as a counterweight to U.S. power alongside Russia.

Washington accused Iran of selling hundreds of attack drones to Russia to help it wage a war in Ukraine and sanctioned an executive of an Iranian drone maker. At the same time, relations between Moscow and Beijing have grown stronger.

While in Indonesia, Raisy plans to lay a wreath at the Kalibata Heroes Cemetery in Jakarta to honor Indonesia’s war dead before meeting Widodo at the presidential palace in Bogor. They will witness the signing of the PTA and other agreements.

Lacey will also meet Indonesian House of Representatives Speaker Puan Maharani, religious figures and business figures before leaving Jakarta on Wednesday. He will visit Jakarta’s Istiqlal Grand Mosque, the largest in Southeast Asia, and give a public lecture at an Islamic university.

Widodo last visited Iran in 2016, while Iran’s last official state visit to Iran was in 2015 when Hassan Rouhani attended the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Asian-African Conference in Bandung. (Associated Press)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)