Republic of Korea-Republic of Indonesia Joint Vision Statement for Co-Prosperity and Peace

At the invitation of the President of the Republic of Indonesia His Excellency Joko Widodo, the President of the Republic of Korea His Excellency Moon Jae-in, paid a state visit to Indonesia on 8-10 November, 2017.

The two countries have maintained long-standing, close and friendly bilateral relations which have been progressing satisfactorily and developing productively toward the promotion of the well-being of the two countries and peoples based on shared values of democracy, human rights, and an open economy. Following the establishment of the Strategic Partnership between the two countries in 2006, the cooperation has continued to evolve in scope and depth in various areas including politics, defense, trade, investment, infrastructure projects, culture, and regional and global issues.

Affirming the common aspiration to ensure that benefits from the two countries‘ strategic partnership go beyond the bilateral context and strategically converge as a further contribution to the maintenance of peace, stability and prosperity in the region and the world, the two Leaders agreed to elevate the bilateral relations to a “Special Strategic Partnership.” The Special Strategic Partnership places greater emphasis on concrete cooperation for the benefit of the two countries and peoples in various fields, particularly in key industries and infrastructures, and on strengthening the two countries’ contribution to the region and the world, especially through their joint efforts including triangular cooperation framework. In this respect, the two Leaders agreed on the following measures to push forward the advancement of the two countries‘ strategic partnership toward the Strategic Convergence for sustainable peace and development.

Strengthening of Strategic Cooperation

The two Leaders noted with satisfaction the active strategic communication between the Republic of Korea and the Republic of Indonesia through channels including the Ministerial Joint Commission and Vice-Ministerial Strategic Dialogue, and agreed to explore new consultation mechanisms such as a two-plus-two meeting in the field of foreign affairs and defense to address issues of common interest.

The two Leaders reaffirmed that cooperation in the field of the defense industry is a symbol of mutual trust and the strategic partnership. The two Leaders were determined to continue enhancing defense industry cooperation, with stronger emphasis on capacity building, research and development, and joint production.

Enhancing Economic Cooperation for Co-prosperity

The two Leaders reaffirmed that trade and investment are important vehicles for the economic development of the two countries, and agreed to make efforts to expand the volume of bilateral trade to 30 billion USD by 2022 in a balanced and sustainable manner. In this regard, the two Leaders agreed to further facilitate the bilateral trade in products of mutual interest.

President Joko Widodo underlined Indonesia’s increasingly conducive investment climate and encouraged more companies from the Republic of Korea to invest and expand in Indonesia, particularly in areas supportive of industrialization acceleration, infrastructure development and connectivity, and regional growth and development.

The two Leaders affirmed the need to conclude negotiations on the comprehensive, modern, high quality and mutually beneficial Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) at an early date not only with a view to expanding bilateral trade between the Republic of Korea and the Republic of Indonesia but also promoting prosperity in the region.

Noting that the economic policies of the two governments are designed to promote a people-centered economy and inclusive growth, the two Leaders agreed to strengthen bilateral economic cooperation for the greater benefit of the two peoples. In this regard, the two Leaders agreed to strengthen and expand cooperation in infrastructure projects including water management, transportation, affordable housing, and electricity generation, which would improve the quality of life. President Moon explained that the ROK government intends to utilize the Global Infrastructure Fund and Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF) to support Indonesia‘s efforts to strengthen infrastructure around the nation.

The two Leaders welcomed the conclusion of the “MOU Concerning Cooperation in the Field of Transport,” and expressed the hope that the MOU would provide Korea with opportunities to share its knowledge and experience with Indonesia in the fields of transportation and infrastructure.

The two Leaders welcomed the conclusion of the “MOU Concerning Industrial Cooperation,” and agreed to further strengthen ongoing cooperation in the steel and petrochemical industries. The two Leaders also tasked the Ministers of Industry to explore a dialogue mechanism to strengthen cooperation in the automotive industry.

Sharing the view that it is opportune for both countries to elevate their economic relationship for co-prosperity to a new level, the two Leaders agreed to facilitate investment in the field of new growth engines including tourism, content industry, eco-friendly energy, health and medical care services, and information technology (IT). President Joko Widodo invited greater investment and participation of Korean companies in Indonesia’s digital economy development to support Indonesia’s goals of having 1,000 new digital startups worth US$10 billion by 2020.

The two Leaders agreed to intensify cooperation in promoting two-way tourism through, among others, facilitating more direct flights between the two countries including by low cost carriers as well as simplifying visa issuance procedure for Indonesian tourists to Korea. President Joko Widodo reiterated his invitation to Korean companies to take an active part in Indonesia‘s effort to develop 10 new tourist destinations (the 10 New Balis).

The two Leaders affirmed the importance of their maritime cooperation, encompassing security and economic spheres and social and cultural aspects, for promoting ASEAN integration and prosperity in Asia as a whole. In this regard, the two Leaders welcomed the decision to conclude the “Implementation Agreement on Establishing the Joint Maritime Research Center,” and agreed to take concrete measures to promote cooperation in the marine field.

The two Leaders noted with satisfaction the half century of cooperation in forestry between the two countries in dealing with issues such as climate change, industrial tree plantation, forest recreation, and eco-tourism. The two Leaders agreed to facilitate cooperation in this field upon Indonesia’s ratification of the Agreement on the Establishment of the Asian Forest Cooperation Organization (AFoCO).

Promoting People-to-People Exchanges

Reiterating the importance of people-to-people exchanges in the bilateral relationship, the two Leaders agreed to facilitate people-to-people exchanges. The two Leaders expressed their sincere hope that both the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games PyeongChang

2018 and the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang will indeed be successfully held, and agreed to support the respective sporting events so that all Asian and global citizens would enjoy those events as peaceful occasions. The two Leaders agreed to explore ways to utilize those sporting events for facilitation of people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.

The two Leaders agreed to strengthen the two countries' consular and immigration consultation and cooperation mechanisms including through the bilateral consular consultation meeting, which aims to provide better services and protection to people from both countries. The two Leaders also agreed to continue to strengthen protection of Indonesian workers in Korea under the Employment Permit System (EPS) and annually discuss issues of common interest in this field through the Joint Working Group.

Strengthening Regional and Global Cooperation

The two Leaders expressed grave concern over North Korea’s sixth nuclear test and multiple launches of ballistic missiles which constitute a serious challenge to international peace and security. The two Leaders reaffirmed their support for the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and urged North Korea to immediately comply fully with its obligations under relevant United Nations Security Council

(UNSC) resolutions. The two Leaders underscored the importance of resuming a meaningful dialogue for denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula as soon as possible.

President Joko Widodo supported the efforts of the Republic of Korea to improve inter-Korean relations and establish permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula. President Joko Widodo also supported the ROK‘s leading role in fostering an environment for peaceful unification of the Korean Peninsula and expressed support for President Moon’s endeavors to restore inter-Korean dialogue on issues, including relieving tensions on the Korean Peninsula and resolving humanitarian issues between the two Koreas.

As ASEAN celebrates its Golden Jubilee this year, President Moon expressed his appreciation for ASEAN‘s role in creating an ecosystem of peace, stability and prosperity in Southeast Asia for the past fifty years. In this regard, President Moon acknowledged Indonesia’s active leadership through its diplomacy for peace and humanity and various regional initiatives in maintaining ASEAN‘s unity, centrality and solidarity, with which ASEAN continues its important role in the region. President Moon reaffirmed the ROK’s commitment and support for ASEAN to maintain its unity, centrality and solidarity, by working more closely with ASEAN, particularly with Indonesia.

The two Leaders noted that both the ROK and ASEAN promote “people-centered” policy. President Moon elaborated on the new initiative for cooperation with ASEAN, the main elements of which are sustainable co-prosperity, people-centered diplomacy and a peaceful East Asia and expressed the hope that the two countries work together to realize the initiative. President Joko Widodo expressed his support for President Moon’s initiative for the ROK-ASEAN cooperation.

The two Leaders reaffirmed their commitment to further deepen cooperation in various regional and international organizations and mechanisms such as the UN, APEC, ASEAN+3, the EAS, ARF, the G20, and MIKTA. In particular, the two Leaders agreed to continue the close collaboration between the two countries regarding elections for posts in international organizations, including the UN Security Council elections for non-permanent members as well as in the promotion and maintenance of international peace and security.

President Moon congratulated Indonesia on its successful 2017 chairmanship of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) and the convening of the IORA Leaders‘ Summit in Jakarta on 7 March 2017.

The two Leaders decided to step up cooperation in combating terrorism, cybercrime and transnational organized crime.

The two Leaders agreed to pursue triangular cooperation in the field of development cooperation on matters of mutual interest, and instructed relevant agencies to explore modalities for cooperation.

President Moon invited President Joko Widodo to visit the Republic of Korea in 2018; President Joko Widodo willingly accepted the invitation. The two Leaders agreed to continue to discuss issues of mutual interest on various occasions with a view to further developing the “Republic of Korea-Republic of Indonesia Special Strategic Partnership.”

The two Leaders witnessed the signing of the G-to-G Memoranda of Understanding in the fields of transport, health and industrial cooperation. The two Leaders welcomed the signing of the B-to-B Memoranda of Understanding in the fields of, among others, power generation, water management, affordable housing, transportation, and capacity building. (Yonhap)