TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi met with her New Zealand counterpart Winston Peters at the Indonesian Foreign Affairs Ministry office in Central Jakarta on Thursday, March 14. They discussed cooperation on halal products and other bilateral matters.

The visit came on the heels of New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon's meeting with Indonesian Vice President Ma'ruf Amin in Wellington, New Zealand. Luxon had also met with Indonesian President Joko Jokowi Widodo on the sidelines of the ASEAN-Australia Summit in Melbourne.

Retno and Peters discussed progress in achieving the bilateral trade goal of NZ$4 billion or Rp38.4 trillion by the end of 2024 and agreed to level up ambition for the next target by enabling increased exports of horticulture and halal products, greater product diversification, and growing cooperation on education and tourism.

“In addition to increasing our trade volume, I emphasize that our trade must be more balanced,” Retno said during a joint press conference with Peters.

The two also discussed the progress of the Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) on Halal products and New Zealand’s plan with the Indonesian Halal Product Assurance Agency (BPJPH).

According to Peters, the agreement will provide assurance for Indonesian consumers and New Zealand dairy and meat exporters.

They were expected to ink the deal during the upcoming visit of Minister Retno Marsudi to New Zealand, who was scheduled to leave for Wellington to attend the 11th Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC) in May this year.

“We look forward to signing an agreement for mutual recognition of halal products during Minister Marsudi’s upcoming visit to New Zealand,” Peters added. “Indonesia is an important market for New Zealand halal products.”

NABIILA AZZAHRA

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