Indonesia, France to cooperate in anti-terror, energy, defense fields

The governments of Indonesia and France have pledged to strengthen cooperation in the fields of fighting terrorism, defense and energy sectors.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Wednesday held a meeting with his French counterpart Francois Hollande at the state palace, discussing efforts on how to bring bilateral ties to a higher level.

Both sides pledged a strong commitment to combating extremism and exchanged similar views on the importance of scraping xenophobia.

Both Indonesia and France have been targeted by the IS terrorist group that left dozens of casualties.

During the visit, Hollande brought 40 businessmen and pledged a 2.6-billion-dollar investment in energy, infrastructure and retail sectors, according to Widodo.

"We agreed to strengthen our commitment to step up bilateral cooperation," Widodo told a press conference after his meeting with Hollande.

"Indonesia and France will boost partnership in two new fields, maritime and creative economy," he added.

The two countries inked five agreements on the sectors of defense, sustainable development, tourism, science and exchange of workers.

Source: Xinhua