JAKARTA, Indonesia – Thailand and Indonesia have agreed to expand their strategic partnership during talks in Jakarta, held as part of the first official visit by a Thai prime minister to Indonesia in 15 years. The discussions covered topics involving economic growth, security, and regional cooperation between two of ASEAN’s largest economies.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto agreed to increase bilateral trade to 23 billion US dollars by 2030, up from about 19.5 billion, while expanding collaboration in agriculture, investment, supply chains, and the halal industry. The two leaders welcomed a memorandum of understanding between the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and TransNusa Airlines to launch direct Bangkok-Jakarta and Phuket-Bali flights.
The two sides also agreed to deepen cooperation against online scam networks, human trafficking, and illicit drug trafficking. Anutin told the meeting Thailand had helped repatriate more than 1,000 Indonesian nationals who had fallen victim to online scam operations in neighboring countries. Both leaders then witnessed the exchange of an action plan for the strategic partnership and a memorandum of understanding on education.
President Prabowo thanked Thailand for assisting Indonesian nationals affected by employment scam networks and expressed support for continued regional cooperation. He also welcomed Thailand’s efforts to encourage dialogue on Myanmar and voiced hope that the situation between Thailand and Cambodia would be resolved peacefully through dialogue and existing mechanisms. (NNT)
