Indonesian leader hosts Australian PM on ties

JAKARTA－Indonesian President Joko Widodo met on Monday with visiting Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese over bilateral ties and issues of common concern in the Presidential Palace in Bogor, West Java.

Albanese, together with several ministers, arrived in Jakarta on Sunday for a three-day visit to Indonesia to seek ways to deepen cooperation between the two countries.

In Bogor, the two leaders met at the botanical garden that is next to the Presidential Palace.

Widodo told reporters that the Australian prime minister was not new to him, and they met in 2020.

"In general I reiterate Indonesia's consistent position that good relations between the two countries can contribute to regional peace and prosperity," he said.

"Strategic competition in the region needs to be managed properly to avoid open conflict. A culture of peace and strategic trust needs to be strengthened. We also agreed to strengthen partnerships in the Pacific, particularly in the sectors of climate, fisheries and agriculture," the president said.

"Australia's relationship with Indonesia is one of our most important. We are linked not just by geography, we are linked by choice," Albanese said in a joint news conference held after talks.

Indonesia is the chair of the G20 summit this year and ASEAN next year. Albanese said he would attend the G20 summit, which Indonesia will host in November.

During the visit, Albanese was scheduled to meet with ASEAN Secretary-General Lim Jock Hoi on Monday. Before returning to Canberra on Tuesday, Albanese plans to visit Makassar, the capital city of Indonesia's South Sulawesi Province.

The visit was Albanese's second overseas trip since his inauguration two weeks ago.

Xinhua - Agencies