President Jokowi to Meet King Salman of Saudi Arabia Saturday

Jeddah (Antara Bali) - President Joko (Jokowi) Widodo and his entourage arrived here Friday at 06.00 p.m. local time or 10.00 p.m. Western Indonesia Standar Time and scheduled to meet with King Salman bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia on Saturday.

Initially, the head of state will be welcomed with a state memorial ceremony by King Salman bin Abdulaziz but due to the unfavorable weather such as strong wind and sand blowing, the ceremony was then canceled.

The president and his entourage then went straight to hotel while staying in Jeddah.

The president left for a visit to three Gulf countries: the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia and Qatar, on Friday, which will conclude on September 15.

According to the Foreign Ministry`s spokesperson, Armanatha Nasir on Friday, the Presidential visit has several purposes, including stepping up economic cooperation and industrial techniques for a strategic partnership.

Additionally, Jokowi will also aim to improve the Indonesian citizens` protection in the Gulf countries and boost Indonesia`s energy security.

Nasir explained 1.4 million Indonesians work in the Gulf countries in mostly the informal sector.

"To date, there are at least 24 Indonesian migrant workers, who have been threatened with the death penalty in Saudi Arabia. Jokowi will discuss the issue during his meeting with a senior officer. We also hope that the Saudi Arabian Kingdom will facilitate efforts to grant forgiveness to the victim," the spokesperson said.

He also pointed out that Indonesia needs to improve economic cooperation with the three countries, given their total gross domestic product (GDP) of 1.6 billion U.S. dollars.

Nasir added that Indonesia saw the Gulf countries playing an important role in energy security efforts because they possess 24 percent of the global oil reserves and 18 percent of the world`s gas reserves. (WDY)