Türkiye, Indonesia vow to rebuild Gaza and boost ties
ANKARA
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Thursday said Ankara will continue to work with Indonesia on the reconstruction of Gaza and defending the Palestinian cause.
"In the forthcoming period, we will continue working with Indonesia to rebuild Gaza and advocate for the Palestinian cause," Erdoğan told a joint news conference with his visiting Indonesian counterpart Prabowo Subianto in the capital Ankara.
Israel opposes a two-state solution to its conflict with Palestine and has killed more than 50,000 people in Gaza since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks, reducing the enclave to a rubble.
Prabowo was welcomed at the presidential palace earlier in the day. He also addressed the Turkish parliament.
Erdoğan said Türkiye continues its cooperation with Indonesia across all international platforms, including the UN, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, G20, D-8, and MIKTA.
Prabowo’s address to the Turkish parliament is “the most beautiful manifestation of the longstanding brotherhood between our countries,” Erdoğan said, adding that the two leaders agreed on making new strides in their cooperation ranging from the defense industry to contracting, and from health and energy to the food sector.
“In the context of the defense industry, we discussed our ongoing projects and explored new opportunities for cooperation, including joint production,” the Turkish president said.
On the exchange of tourists between the two countries, Erdoğan expressed his pleasure with the number of Indonesian visitors to Türkiye, which reached 203,000 in 2024.
On bilateral trade, the Turkish president said: "We reviewed the potential steps to expand the trade volume to the target of 10 billion dollars in a balanced manner, based on mutual benefit."
Commenting on the forthcoming three-day Antalya Diplomacy Forum, which will kick off on Friday and will also be attended by Prabowo, Erdoğan said: “Undoubtedly, this strong interest once again highlights our country’s growing influence in global diplomacy.”
“I sincerely believe that President Subianto’s visit will contribute to both our bilateral and multilateral cooperation,” he added.
For his part, Subianto called on Türkiye to cooperate with Jakarta to “take responsibility for creating a new global order.”
“(With Türkiye) as leaders of the Global South, as strategic partners, we need to take responsibility for creating a new global order,” he said.
Noting that the two nations share a similar history and vision, Prabowo said both countries aspire to be “a positive force in the Islamic world.”
On the global geopolitical situation, Prabowo said “Indonesia and Türkiye should work together to maintain global peace and stability.”
“We will work together to support Palestinian independence,” he said, adding that they also agreed to support stability and peace in Syria and Ukraine.
The Indonesian leader expressed his willingness to cooperate with Türkiye in the fields of economy, health, construction, energy, defense industry, and culture.
Earlier in the day, the 73-year-old addressed lawmakers at the Turkish parliament, extending his support to Türkiye in pursuit of justice in a world "full of uncertainties."
Signed pacts
Türkiye and Indonesia on Thursday signed three pacts (MoU) on cooperation in media, culture and disaster management.
The signing ceremony was held in Ankara, in the presence of two presidents.
The pacts signed included two MoUs on cooperation on disaster and emergency Management between the Turkish disaster agency AFAD and the Indonesian National Disaster Management Agency, and cooperation in the fields of media, public relations, and communication between the Turkish Communications Directorate and the Presidential Communications Office of Indonesia.
A cultural cooperation agreement between Türkiye's Culture and Tourism Ministry and the Indonesian Culture Ministry was also signed.
