Indonesia and Britain have agreed trade deals worth US$1.4 billion during President Joko Widodo’s visit to the UK, where he met with British Prime Minister David Cameron in London.
Indonesia’s visit to Britain has two main purposes: increasing trade and bilateral relations between Indonesia and Britain and also figuring out ways for both countries to tackle the issue of terrorism.
President Jokowi and Prime Minister Cameron have decided to upgrade passenger planes for Indonesia’s national carrier Garuda Indonesia by making a new US$1.4 billion deal with Rolls-Royce and Airbus.
“We are the fifth biggest investor in Indonesia and our relationship has more untapped potential. We want to encourage more British businesses to seize on these opportunities and we will continue to support them by banging the drum for British skills and expertise,” said Prime Minister Cameron as reported by Airbus.
Aside from trade deals, both leaders also discussed the potential for Indonesia and the UK’s intelligence agencies to join forces in combating terrorism threats.
“And here I think Indonesia has an absolutely key role to play. I’ve been so impressed by what I’ve seen of Indonesia’s approach to fighting terrorism and fighting extremism, but also standing up for Islam as a religion of peace,” Mr. Cameron said at a press conference in London.
President Jokowi will continue his tour of the European Union with Brussels as his next stop after the UK.