23 October 2014 – Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. del Rosario represented President Benigno S. Aquino III at the inauguration of Indonesia’s 7thPresident Joko “Jokowi” Widodo during ceremonies held at the Nusantara Building (Parliament building) in the capital city of Jakarta, in the morning of October 20.
In conveying congratulations to the newly sworn-in Indonesian leader on behalf of the President and the Filipino people, Secretary Del Rosario also mentioned that the Philippines looks forward to receiving President Widodo in Manila when he conducts his introductory visits in the region.
It is customary for a newly-elected President of a Southeast Asian nation such as Indonesia to conduct initial international visits within the ASEAN region.
The Secretary also conveyed to President Widodo that President Aquino looks forward to closely working with the new Indonesian administration on cooperative endeavors that will further strengthen and deepen the abiding friendship between the Philippines and Indonesia.
In response, President Widodo said “give my best to your President and I look forward to meeting him.”
President Widodo was elected in national elections held on 09 July 2014. Prior to his election, he was Governor of Jakarta.
The Indonesian constitution provides for two presidential terms of five-years each. Outgoing President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono completed his second term as president on 19 October 2014.
With a population of over 250 million and a GDP of almost US$1.3 trillion, Indonesia is not only the most populous Muslim nation in the world, it is also one of the influential countries in the ASEAN and East Asian regions.
Since establishing formal relations close to 65 years ago on 24 November 1949, the Philippines and Indonesia have become solid partners, dependable neighbors and outstanding friends, often sharing similar views on regional and international political and economic issues.
The Philippines and Indonesia have also signed at least 35 bilateral agreements covering a wide range of bilateral cooperation in areas such as defense and security, consular matters, trade and investments, maritime concerns, transportation and communications, energy, and tourism. Two-way trade between the two countries amounted to US$3.5 billion in 2013. END