Trade between Indonesia and India currently reaches up to nearly 20 billion USD per year and is able to increase in the near future, said Indian Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari at the Indonesia-India Business Forum in Jakarta on November 3.

For his part, Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla stated that numerous similarities will facilitate bilateral cooperation, especially in trade.

Indonesia is an ideal destination for Indian enterprises to begin or expand their business activities, he added.

Indian Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari meets with the media in Indonesia (Source: Thehindu.com)

At the forum, the two sides discussed how to intensify bilateral trade and encourage investment in each country through the private sector.

Earlier, in his meetings with Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Vice President Kalla, Ansari emphasised the role of the ASEAN nations in disputes in the East Sea, noting the situation requires them to restrain.

India welcomes the efforts made by the ASEAN countries in maintaining peace and stability in the region, he stated.

He also called for tightened cooperation between regional countries to deal with non-traditional challenges, including intellectual property violations, smuggling, trans-national crime and drug trafficking.

During Ansari’s visit to Indonesia, the two countries’ leaders witnessed the signing of several memoranda of understandings relating to new and renewable energy development, cultural exchange and health research.

(Source: VNA)