Slovak Foreign Affairs Minister Juraj Blanár (Smer-SD) held talks with his Indonesian counterpart Sugiono in Jakarta on Tuesday. The partners confirmed their interest in deepening bilateral relations and focusing on a narrower range of concrete and achievable priorities. Both sides also expressed their wish to elevate mutual relations to the level of a strategic partnership
During discussions held at the Indonesian Foreign Affairs Ministry, the two officials focused primarily on cooperation in the economic sector, energy transformation, food self-sufficiency, health care and defence. According to the ministers, the defence agreement signed in 2023 is currently undergoing the ratification process. Sugiono noted that cooperation in this area should, in addition to purchases, also include technology transfer, research, training and joint production.
Blanár is the first Slovak foreign affairs minister to visit Indonesia in 16 years. He began his several-day visit on Monday (2 February) on the island of Bali, opening an honorary consulate there. The minister stressed that Slovakia had recently presented its strategy for the Indo-Pacific region, which he described as one of the most important regions in the world, with Indonesia being a key player in it. Sugiono promised to visit Slovakia in the near future.
Source: TASR
