Economy, culture, defense deals inked during PBBM state visit to Indonesia

During President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s state visit here on Monday, four agreements on the economy, culture, and defense were signed.

Before they made their joint speeches in the Istana Bogor, Marcos and Indonesian President Joko Widodo inked the following agreements:

• Plan of Action between the Government of Republic of Indonesia and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines from 2022 to 2027, presented by Minister for Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi and DFA Secretary Enrique Manalo;
• Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of Republic of Indonesia and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines on Cultural Cooperation, presented by Minister for Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi and DFA Secretary Enrique Manalo;
• Agreement on Cooperative Activities in the Field of Defense and Security between the Government of Republic of Indonesia and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines, presented by the Minister of Defense Prabowo Subianto and Senior Undersecretary of the Department of Defense Jose Faustino Jr.; and
• Memorandum of Understanding for Cooperation in the Development and Promotion of Creative Economy between the Government of Republic of Indonesia and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines, presented by Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Uno and DTI Secretary Alfredo Pascual

In his statement, Marcos said he and Jokowi talked “at length” about the role the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) should play “while we face the difficulties in this very volatile time in geopolitics not only in our region but also in the rest of the world.”

Marcos also thanked Indonesia “for the assistances and their involvement in the infrastructure programs of my predecessor, President [Rodrigo] Duterte, and their continuing commitment not only to go on with these programs but to increase the volume and the closeness between our two countries.”