Indonesian President Joko Widodo arrives in UAE on state visit

Leader received by President Sheikh Mohamed at start of two-day trip

Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Tuesday arrived in the UAE for the start of a two-day state visit.

Mr Widodo was greeted by a UAE delegation led by President Sheikh Mohamed at the Presidential Airport in Abu Dhabi, state news agency Wam reported.

Sheikh Mohamed's delegation included Suhail Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, and Abdulla Al Dhaheri, the UAE's ambassador to Indonesia.

The two leaders will hold high-level talks, focused on bolstering strategic ties between the friendly nations.

The plane carrying Mr Widodo was met by a number of Emirati military aircraft as it entered UAE airspace.

The Indonesian President spoke warmly of his country's ties with the UAE and his own relationship with Sheikh Mohamed, in an interview with The National carried out ahead of his visit to the Emirates.

He said he looked forward to seeing the UAE-Indonesian partnership “expand into new sectors like the clean energy and electric vehicles and also the new capital Nusantara”, in East Kalimantan on the island of Borneo.

“Nusantara reflects Indonesia's transformation through a new way of working and a new mindset that is smarter, greener and sustainable,” he said, adding that he has invited Emirati investors to visit the site.

Discussions between Sheikh Mohamed and Mr Widodo will include the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (Cepa) signed between the countries in July 2022, which is seen as a vital part of joint efforts to advance sustainable development.

At the time, Sheikh Mohamed said the agreement would usher in "a new era of increased trade, investment and economic co-operation".

The pact has been in force since August 2023.

Mr Widodo is due to step down from office in October, marking the end of his second and final term as president.

Close ties

The allies are expected to bolster links in nuclear energy, investment and financial sectors as part of the state visit.

Mr Widodo's visit is a landmark moment in a long-standing friendship spanning 47 years.

UAE Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, visited Indonesia in 1990, a tour which was viewed as pivotal to relations, Wam said on Tuesday.

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, emphasised during his chairing of the UAE-Indonesia Joint Committee in Abu Dhabi in 2023 that the two countries have co-ordinated closely in vital sectors such as renewable energy, tourism, aviation, agriculture, food security, infrastructure, transportation, health, artificial intelligence, education, and culture.

Looking to the future

The UAE-Indonesia Cepa is expected to boost the value of bilateral non-oil trade from $4.08 billion to more than $10 billion within five years.

The agreement is also projected to raise the combined value of trade in services between the countries to $630 million by 2030.

More than 80 per cent of UAE exports to Indonesia will now be exempt from customs duties.

In June 2023, the UAE's DP World announced it would begin operations at Indonesia’s Belawan New Container Terminal (BNCT), after finalising an agreement with the Indonesia Investment Authority and state-owned port operator Pelindo to manage the terminal and expand its capacity.

The tripartite partnership aims to establish Indonesia’s most direct link with the Malacca Strait, one of the world’s busiest shipping routes.

Shared vision

Both countries are also home to their own Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Solo, on the Indonesian island of Java, was named in tribute to the UAE Founding Father.

It was opened by Sheikh Mohamed and his Indonesian counterpart Mr Widodo in November 2022.

Green links

Another aspect of the close bond between the nations is the joint commitment towards the environment.

Work began in May on a new mangrove research centre in Indonesia, in collaboration with the UAE.

The Mohamed bin Zayed-Joko Widodo International Mangrove Research Centre will be built on 2.5 hectares of land in Bali's Ngurah Rai Forest Park, bolstered by the UAE's $10 million investment.

The research centre was first announced at last year's Cop28 climate change conference in Dubai.

Sheikh Mohamed visits Indonesia in 2022 - in pictures

Sheikh Mohamed and Mr Widodo had moved to further strengthen bilateral ties when the UAE leader attended the G20 Summit in Indonesia in November 2022.

A raft of agreements included co-operation on infrastructure development, artificial intelligence and other environmental issues.

The two allies agreed to working closely to boost cybersecurity during the 2022 talks, while a grant agreement was struck on the financing of a tuberculosis control programme in Indonesia.

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company and Indonesia's Kilang Pertamina Internasional forged a partnership in the petrochemical sector and Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company, more widely known as Masdar, set out plans to join forces with Pertamina Power Indonesia on developing a solar power plant in the Rokan Block.

Other partnerships included a national genome initiatives between Asaren Indonesia and G42 Healthcare, and work on renewable energy and storage between Masdar, the Indonesian Investment Authority and Pertamina Power Indonesia.