1. Minister of Foreign Affairs Chung Eui-yong met with Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia Retno L.P. Marsudi on June 25 in Indonesia, the final stop of his trip to Southeast Asia. They had an extensive exchange of views on bilateral cooperation as well as regional and global affairs.

2. Foreign Minister Chung expressed his appreciation that the two countries have achieved remarkable results in strengthening bilateral relations based on deep trust and friendship between their two leaders, especially over the last couple of years, since the establishment of the Special Strategic Partnership in 2017.

o Noting that Korea has carried out various cooperative projects as follow-up measures to the 2019 ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit and in line with the strategic direction of the New Southern Policy Plus, Foreign Minister Chung emphasized that Korea will keep working closely with Indonesia, which is the one of the core partners of the New Southern Policy, within this context.

3. The two Foreign Ministers agreed to expand cooperation in such fields as disease prevention and control, vaccination, and public health, in order to overcome the COVID-19 crisis together.

o Foreign Minister Chung mentioned that Korea will provide four million dollars worth of COVID-19 test kits and other relief supplies this year as it did last year, and noted that a minutes of understanding was signed to this end on the occasion of the meeting. Foreign Minister Retno conveyed her sincere appreciation for Korea’s assistance.

* On the occasion of the Foreign Ministers’ meeting on June 25, the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and the Ministry of National Development Planning/National Development Planning Agency of the Republic of Indonesia (BAPPENAS) signed the Minutes of Understanding on Inclusive Program for COVID-19 Response.

o The two Foreign Ministers appreciated that the effective implementation of the fast track procedure has contributed to the development of mutually beneficial economic relations between the two countries by ensuring the essential movement of people including business travels, and agreed to continue working together for the smooth operation of the fast track.

o They also agreed to actively contribute to global coordination towards equitable access to vaccines. Foreign Minister Chung explained that the Korean government will provide 100 million U.S. dollars to the COVAX AMC this year, as well as another 100 million U.S. dollars next year, and hoped that this will help expand COVID-19 vaccine distribution across the ASEAN member states including Indonesia.

4. The two Foreign Ministers agreed to continue working together for economic recovery in the post COVID-19 era.

o Both sides agreed to closely collaborate for the prompt entry into force of the Korea-Indonesia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (KI-CEPA) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement and thereby to lay an institutional foundation at bilateral and regional levels for economic recovery in the post COVID-19 era.

o Foreign Minister Chung noted with appreciation that the Indonesian government’s active efforts to improve the country’s investment environment has enabled Korean companies to expand investment in Indonesia, and requested the Indonesian government’s continuous assistance in facilitating the activities of Korean companies. Foreign Minister Retno reaffirmed the Indonesian government’s commitment to expanding investment cooperation between the two countries for co-prosperity and supporting Korean companies’ activities.

o In addition, the two Foreign Ministers decided to contribute to narrowing the development gap in the region through joint development cooperation projects in third countries. To this end, they signed the Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia concerning Triangular Cooperation after their meeting.

5. The two Foreign Ministers welcomed the progress made in strengthening bilateral cooperation in the defense industry, a symbol of strategic trust between Korea and Indonesia, and agreed to work closely for the smooth implementation of mutually beneficial substantive cooperation projects such as the KF-21/IF-X Fighter Joint Development Project.

6. The two Foreign Ministers agreed to further strengthen bilateral communication and cooperation in protecting overseas nationals.

o Foreign Minister Retno expressed appreciation for the Korean government’s strong efforts to protect Indonesian fishermen working in Korea. The two Foreign Ministers agreed to work closely together to effectively implement the MOU on Cooperation in the Fields of Employment and Labour Affairs for Fishermen Working on Korean Coastal Fishing Vessels, which was signed last month.

​

o Foreign Minister Chung requested the Indonesian government’s active cooperation for the vaccination of Koreans residing in Indonesia.

7. The two Foreign Ministers also exchanged views on major regional and global issues including peace on the Korean Peninsula and the situation in Myanmar.

o Foreign Minister Chung extended his appreciation to Indonesia for consistently supporting the Korean governments’ efforts to make progress toward complete denuclearization and establishment of permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula. The two Foreign Ministers agreed to continue their close cooperation in advancing the Korean Peninsula Peace Process.

o Foreign Minister Retno provided updates on the implementation of the five-point consensus reached in the ASEAN Leaders’ Meeting, and the two Foreign Ministers agreed to work together more closely for the recovery of democracy, peace, and stability in Myanmar through prompt implementation of the five-point consensus.

8. Following the meeting, the two Foreign Ministers signed the Plan of Action for the Implementation of the Special Strategic Partnership between the Republic of Korea and the Republic of Indonesia.

   o The Plan of Action (PoA) lays out specific ways to deepen bilateral collaboration in the four fields of political/defense/security cooperation, economic cooperation, socio cultural cooperation, and regional and international cooperation in 2021-2025. The two Foreign Ministers will continue to review the progress made in implementing the cooperative projects included in the PoA in the Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) co-chaired by the Foreign Ministers of the two countries.

* Both sides agreed to draw up a plan of action that provides specific ways to increase bilateral cooperation at the third Joint Commission Meeting in April 2019 and signed it during Foreign Minister Chung’s visit to Indonesia.