Prabowo pushes trade rebalance in first visit to Pakistan

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto instructed his ranks to formulate strategies to enhance trade ties with Pakistan, considering the many potential areas of cooperation between both nations. 

Prabowo, speaking to Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, expressed his commitment to balancing the trade balance between the two countries, as currently 90 percent of Indonesia-Pakistan trade is still dominated by Indonesian exports to Pakistan, particularly palm oil. 

"I have instructed my ministers to balance our trade relations through concrete steps, and we will work quickly across all sectors," he said during a joint statement at the official residence of the Pakistani Prime Minister (PM House) in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Tuesday (December 9). 

In the same session, PM Sharif also conveyed a similar statement. 

"Our trade value reaches US$4.5 billion. More than 90 percent is imported from Indonesia, especially palm oil. We have discussed efforts to balance this, through exports of Pakistani agricultural products, exports of information technology initiatives, and other sectors to be explored," he remarked. 

President Prabowo and PM Sharif chaired a bilateral meeting between the Indonesian and Pakistani governments at PM House, Islamabad, on Tuesday, as the main agenda item on the President's first foreign visit to Pakistan. 

The visit, as stated by the two leaders, also served as part of the 75th anniversary of relations between Indonesia and Pakistan. 

The last visit by an Indonesian president to Pakistan took place in 2018, during the administration of the seventh President Joko Widodo. 

"It's been a long time, but it's never too late. You mentioned this morning that Pakistan Air Force fighter jets escorted your plane. I was at the airport with the Pakistani President to welcome you. This comes from the bottom of our hearts: a leader from the world's most populous Muslim country is visiting Pakistan after seven years. We must do more to welcome you and your delegation," PM Sharif said. 

During their meeting, the two also agreed to increase cooperation in the fields of health, education, vocational training, and culture. At least seven agreements and memorandums of understanding (MoUs) were announced during a series of events at PM House.