Pakistan, Indonesia sign seven MoUs to expand cooperation in various sectors

Pakistan and Indonesia signed seven memoranda of understanding on Tuesday to broaden cooperation in areas including trade, higher education, halal certification and health, during Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s two-day visit to Islamabad.

The agreements were finalized after talks between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Subianto, whose trip marks his first to Pakistan since taking office and coincides with the 75th anniversary of bilateral relations.

Speaking at a joint media briefing, Sharif said Pakistan was seeking a more balanced trading relationship, noting that palm oil imports currently dominate a bilateral trade volume of $4.5 billion. “More than 90% represents imports from our brotherly country, Indonesia, that is palm oil,” he said. “We have discussed how to take corrective measures to balance this trade through agri-exports from Pakistan, through exports of our IT-led initiatives, and in many other areas where we can fill this gap.”

Sharif also offered Pakistan’s support for Indonesia’s health sector: “I want to assure you that whatever is possible for us in this behalf, we will do it without any delay and with great pleasure and most willingly.”

The MoUs signed include cooperation in higher education, an Indonesian state scholarship program, SME facilitation, archival collaboration, narcotics control, halal trade and certification, and health-sector development, according to state broadcaster Radio Pakistan.