Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia and the Philippines in their Joint Committee meeting here on Friday agreed to cooperate with each other in the energy sector, including in development of geothermal energy.
"Indonesia and the Philippines have also agreed to increase their cooperation in the fields of fisheries, agriculture, forestry, education and culture," Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda said on the meeting`s sidelines.
He said trade relations between the two countries so far had kept on increasing with their bilateral trade in the 2002-2008 period having grown by an average of 18.7 percent per year.
"In 2006, bilateral trade between Indonesia and the Philippines reached a value of almost Rp1.7 billion," he added.
The two countries, Hassan said, also agreed to futher develop their trade and investment relations by establishing more mutual business contacts, removing trade obstacles and increasing exports to each other.
Philippine Foreign Minister Alberto G Romulo said on the same occasion, the cooperation between Indonesia and the Philippines was a meaningful symbol of the two countries` similarities and geographical proximity.
He said the cooperation should be expanded to cover air transportation in order to increase the tourist flows to the two countries.
Besides cooperation in the energy sector, the two countries also agreed to cooperate in security and defense matters, and in the migrant workers` issue.
The meeting was the fourth the two countries have held so far with the third having taken place in Manila in December 2002.
It was preceded by a senior officials` meeting on July 12.
The meeting`s results were to be contained in an agreement to be signed by the two foreign ministers later on Friday.
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