Jakarta, Indonesia – President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) pushed to boost Indonesia-Brazil forestry cooperation at a bilateral meeting with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Saturday at the Rihga Royal Hotel in Hiroshima, Japan, in conjunction with the G7 Summit.
Because Indonesia and Brazil have the world’s largest tropical forest areas, forestry-related concerns have become a primary focus for the two governments.
With this in mind, President Jokowi emphasized the significance of cooperation with forest countries, especially the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
“More than 30 percent of the world’s tropical forests are located in Indonesia-Brazil and the Democratic Republic of the Congo,” the president said in a press statement issued Saturday in Jakarta.
President Jokowi and President Lula discussed cooperation in dealing with climate change during the meeting, and both heads of state reaffirmed their commitment to addressing the issue.
The two leaders also agreed to press developed countries to fulfill their obligations to provide cash to address climate change challenges.
Furthermore, both presidents expressed confidence that collaboration between their countries would reach unprecedented heights in the future. Jokowi and Lula have agreed to increase cooperation in agricultural development and meat procurement for Indonesia.
During their conversation, President Lula implied that President Jokowi should pay a state visit to South America.
“I am truly looking forward to receiving President Widodo in Brazil, and we can discuss many more (areas for) potential cooperation between the two big developing countries, akin to Indonesia and Brazil,” President Lula stated.
President Jokowi was accompanied at the bilateral meeting by several ministers, including Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi, Economic Affairs Coordinating Minister Airlangga Hartarto, Maritime Affairs and Investment Coordinating Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, and State-owned Enterprises Minister Erick Thohir.
Pramono Anung, Cabinet Secretary, and Santo Darmosumarto, East Asia Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, were also present.