Indonesian President Joko Widodo (R) meets with visiting Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the Presidential Palace in Bogor, Indonesia, June 6, 2022. (Muchlis Jr/Presidential Press Bureau/Handout via Xinhua)
JAKARTA, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Indonesian President Joko Widodo met on Monday with visiting Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese over bilateral ties and issues of common concern in the Presidential Palace in Bogor, West Java.
Albanese, together with several ministers, arrived in Jakarta on Sunday for a three-day visit to Indonesia to seek ways to deepen cooperation between the two countries.
In Bogor, the two leaders met at the botanical garden that is next to the Presidential Palace.
Widodo told reporters that the Australian prime minister was not new to him, and they met in 2020.
"In general I reiterate Indonesia's consistent position that good relations between the two countries can contribute to regional peace and prosperity," he said.
"Strategic competition in the region needs to be managed properly to avoid open conflict. A culture of peace and strategic trust needs to be strengthened. We also agreed to strengthen partnerships in the Pacific, particularly in the sectors of climate, fisheries and agriculture," the president said. ■