Jordanian-Indonesia ties to see a boost — ambassador

AMMAN — Indonesian-Jordanian ties, especially in the fields of investment, trade and tourism, will see a boost as plans and discussions are underway for increased cooperation in these areas, Indonesian Ambassador in Amman Andy Rachmianto said.

In a recent interview on the occasion of the 73rd anniversary of the Indonesian Independence Day, which the embassy will mark on Thursday, the ambassador said that Indonesia and Jordan enjoy “very solid relationship and strong coordination” on various issues, and will witness new areas of cooperation in the near future, which will help increase the number of investments, tourists and trade between the two sides. 

Discussions are already under way between businesspeople from Jordan and Indonesia to build a furniture and handicrafts factory in the Kingdom, he told The Jordan Times.

“The parties involved are currently looking into the location of the factory… the idea is to bring half finished products from Indonesia and complete them here and then export them to several countries,” Rachmianto said, adding: “Jordan is a gateway to countries in the region and an excellent hub for companies to take part in the rebuilding process of Iraq and Syria…Indonesian investments here can enter EU markets, the US and other markets through the free trade agreements that Jordan has with these countries.”

Other sectors Indonesian investors are eyeing include cement manufacturing and pharmaceuticals.

“Jordan is very famous for high quality and advanced pharmaceutical industries and Indonesia is very well known for manufacturing of vaccines…there are discussions going on for cooperation between the two countries to produce vaccines in Jordan,” he commented.

Regarding tourism, the ambassador said that Indonesian tourists represent the fourth largest number of visitors to Jordan in the list of non-Arabs, noting that around 50,000 Indonesians visited Jordan in 2017, which is 40 per cent higher than the year before.

“Jordan is home to many tourist sites and holy places and shrines to visit…We are very active in promoting a package called Umra plus-plus under which Indonesians perform umra, then visit Jordan and Palestine,” Rachmianto noted. 

However, the lack of direct flights between Amman and Jakarta is affecting the increase in number as “potential is huge”, he remarked, adding that an agreement is scheduled to be signed between Royal Jordanian and Malindo Airlines to provide better connectivity between the two countries at affordable prices.

Meanwhile, around 6,000 Jordanians visited Indonesia last year, which is above the target the embassy was seeking. 

He said businesspeople from both countries will hold several meetings and activities in the upcoming period to boost trade exchange, which reached around $293 million in 2017.

On political cooperation, the ambassador said Jordan and Indonesia see eye to eye on issues of mutual concern and interest.

“The Palestinian issue is on the top of our foreign agenda as it is the case for Jordan, whose role is pivotal and key. We support Jordan’s custodianship of the holy sites in Jerusalem,” Rachmianto stated.

In terms of security and anti-terrorism, he said the two countries enjoy “strong cooperation”.

“Jordan has a strong experience in this regard and we share intelligence,” he said, noting that Indonesia is part of the Aqaba Process, whose new round focused on enhancing global coordination and efforts in countering terrorism and violent extremism.

“We very much appreciate the Aqaba meetings which this year focused on means to counter the global threat of terrorism, address security challenges in southeast Asia and build on the outcomes of previous meetings,” Rachmianto noted.

Voicing appreciation for Jordan’s support to more than 1.3 million Syrian refugees, the ambassador said Indonesia will continue providing its support, citing various segments of society in Indonesia, including civil society and philanthropists who have donated to help support the refugees in Jordan.