INDONESIA RE-AFFIRMS SUPPORT FOR FIJI
COMMITMENT US$7.72MILLION (FD$15.5M) TO THE FIJI GOVERNMENT FOR THE PERIOD FROM 2019 TO 2024 TO BE USED TO IMPROVE THE EDUCATION SECTOR AND HANDLE COVID-19 PANDEMIC.
In 2022, Indonesia’s exports to the country reached US$40.48million (FD$89.17m).
The Indonesian Government reaffirmed its support to Fiji during a meeting at the sidelines of the Asian Development Bank annual meeting in South Korea recently. Meeting with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Biman Prasad, Indonesia’s Minister for Finance Sri Mulyani Indrawati recommitted their commitment to a US$7.72million (FD$15.5million) to the Fiji Government for the period from 2019 to 2024.
“The fund is used to improve the education sector and handle COVID-19 pandemic,” the Indonesian Minister said.
This she said was a testament of the close bilateral relations between Indonesia and Fiji.
Fiji is also Indonesia’s trade partner.
In 2022, Indonesia’s exports to the country reached US$40.48million (FD$89.17m) and this was dominated by shipments of cement, iron, and processed tobacco commodities, which increased by 40 per cent compared to 2021.
During the meeting, the two ministers also spoke on how the two governments could improve areas of cooperation.
The two met on the sidelines of the ADB Annual Meeting and ASEAN chairmanship AFMGM+3 in South Korea on Wednesday.
The meeting discussed the global economic challenges in the form of inflation triggered by high energy and commodity prices.
Ms Indrawati also shared her experience in managing the crisis in Indonesia through fiscal and financial consolidation as well as solid policy coordination.
Through the meeting, Ms Indrawati said she expects that the trade activity and bilateral investment between Indonesia and Fiji can be strengthened further to mutually support the two countries’ economic recovery.
“We also discussed the importance of multilateral coordination and cooperation to handle global challenges, including energy and food crises,” she added.
Indonesia and Fiji are members of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) along with 12 other countries in the Indo-Pacific region, which seeks to realize fair and equitable growth.