Jakarta (Antara Bali) - Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi and her Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif have agreed to enhance bilateral cooperation between Indonesia and Iran.
The Indonesian foreign minister took part in the bilateral meeting before attending a United Nations session in New York, according to a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs received here on Friday.
At the meeting, the two foreign ministers agreed to boost cooperation between Indonesia and Iran, including in the areas of trade, investment, and energy.
In addition, the Indonesian foreign minister will visit Iran in October. The visit is expected to increase bilateral cooperation between the two countries, considering the United Nations Security Council's approval to the Iran nuclear deal.
During the visit, the two foreign ministers will explore the establishment of a joint business council.
"As a friendly country, Iran invited Indonesia's foreign minister and its businessmen to Tehran as part of the efforts to strengthen cooperation and explore opportunities for increasing economic cooperation," Zarif emphasized.
The Iranian foreign minister also lauded Indonesia's initiative to hold a meeting of key countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to seek a peaceful resolution to the conflicts in Middle East.
Minister Zarif pointed out that Iran considered lending support to Indonesia to become a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the 2019-2020 period.
Earlier, the two foreign ministers, who met before attending a United Nations session in New York, agreed that dialog is the key to putting an end to regional conflicts.
Retno stated that Indonesia welcomed the signing of the Joint Comprehensive Action Plan between Iran and members of the United Nations Security Council and Germany after a nuclear agreement was reached between Tehran, permanent members of the Security Council, and Germany.
"The (nuclear) agreement was a historical event that was expected to improve relations between Iran and the West and serve as a starting point for the settlement of conflicts in the Middle East," Retno emphasized.
The two foreign ministers gave serious attention to political and security developments in the Middle East.
Retno stressed on the importance of dialog and diplomacy in settling the conflicts in the Middle East, including in Syria.
"Iran and Indonesia agreed that inclusive dialog involving all parties, internal and external, related to the Syrian conflict is important," Retno affirmed.
"The Iranian foreign minister hopes that Indonesia could contribute to creating national reconciliation in Syria," she added. (WDY)
