REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi and South Africa's International Relations and Cooperation Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for establishing Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation here on Monday (20/4).

The signing of the MoU took place on the sidelines of a ministerial meeting held as part of the events to mark the 60th anniversary of the Asian-African Conference (AAC) and the 10th anniversary of the New Asian-African Strategic Partnership (NAASP). The two ministers jointly led the meeting.

The signing of the MoU came a day after the two ministers held bilateral talks and agreed to strengthen their cooperation at both regional and international levels.

At the bilateral level, Indonesia and South Africa have agreed to step up their trade relations that reached US$1.87 billion in 2014 as well as to encourage cooperation between strategic industries in the two states.

The two ministers have also agreed to explore the possibility of collaborations in the fields of maritime and blue economy.

At the regional level, both nations have committed to strengthen the Asian-African cooperation by encouraging new, concrete initiatives within the framework of NAASP.

As chairman and vice-chairman of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) for the 2015-2017 term, Indonesia and South Africa are committed to working closely to ensure that IORA produces concrete cooperation in support of peace and prosperity among countries in the Indian Ocean.

At the multilateral level, the two foreign ministers shared their views on the reform of the UN Security Council.

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