Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 27) — Indonesian President Joko Widodo may soon visit the Philippines, according to Indonesian Ambassador Agus Widjojo.
In a one-on-one interview with CNN Philippines, the envoy said the Indonesian president would like to “reciprocate” the visit of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. last year to Jakarta and demonstrate that Manila remains an important ally.“There is a big chance for that because 2023 is Indonesia’s chairmanship for ASEAN. President Widodo has in mind to reciprocate the visit of President Marcos because, for us, the Philippines is a national ally and an important economic and political, and strategic partner,” said Widjojo.The envoy, however, could not give concrete details on the timeline of the visit but he is optimistic that it will happen within the year.Widodo made his last state visit to Manila in 2017 during the time of former president Rodrigo Duterte.Marcos, on the other hand, made his maiden state visit to the ASEAN country in September 2022, almost three months after he was sworn into office.The Indonesian envoy said that follow-ups have been made by both the Philippine and Indonesian sides after Marcos’ state visit. Among key priorities for both countries include border security and counter-terrorism efforts.“The Indonesian National Police continues to build solid cooperation with the Philippine National Police in various fields such as prevention and countering of transnational crimes, joint operations, and capacity building,” Widjojo said.“Both sides agreed to handle cases in maritime sector such as smuggling, human trafficking, and people smuggling among other crimes,” he added.The envoy said that trade and investments between the two countries are expected to grow further following the good bilateral ties of Manila and Jakarta.Widjojo said that bilateral trade growth between Indonesia and the Philippines has reached 45% in 2022.
