Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi arrived in Indonesia yesterday for a three-day official visit aimed at boosting bilateral ties in education, food security, rural development, and disaster management, among others.

He and his delegation landed at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport at 7.01pm local time (8.01pm Malaysian time).

Zahid, who is also rural and regional development minister, was welcomed by Indonesia’s Religious Affairs Minister Nasaruddin Omar, Malaysian Ambassador to Indonesia Syed Hasrin Tengku Hussin, and Malaysia’s Permanent Representative to Asean Sarah Al Bakri Devadason.

“This visit is expected to further strengthen relations between Malaysia and Indonesia, as well as enhance strategic cooperation,” Syed Hasrin told Malaysian media.

During the visit, Zahid is scheduled to pay a courtesy call on Indonesian Vice-President Gibran Rakabuming Raka to discuss and explore collaborative opportunities, including in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).

He is also set to witness the exchange of three letters of intent, two concerning TVET cooperation between Universiti Kuala Lumpur and the regional governments of Jakarta and West Sumatra, and another between Education Malaysia Global Services and the government of West Sumatra.

Regional disaster preparedness is also expected to be on the agenda, with scheduled visits to Indonesia’s National Agency for Disaster Management and the Asean Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance.

“This is quite a special visit as Malaysia is currently chairing Asean, which gives us the opportunity to receive updates on the involvement of these centres in recent natural disasters, including in Myanmar,” said Syed Hasrin.

Another potential area for collaboration is food security, where both nations could explore joint efforts to tackle common challenges.

“Food security is a top priority for Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, and it is also high on Malaysia’s agenda. If there are opportunities to collaborate, they will certainly be explored together,” Syed Hasrin added.

In 2024, Indonesia was Malaysia’s sixth-largest global trading partner and the second largest among Asean member countries.

Bilateral trade in 2024 was recorded at RM116.29 billion (US$25.5 billion), a 4.5 percent increase from RM111.21 billion (US$24.39 billion) in 2023.

- Bernama

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