Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia's Vice President Ma'ruf Amin discussed efforts to increase cooperation in various fields, including education and investment, with Minister of Energy and Infrastructure of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei.
According to a press release from the Vice President's Secretariat, the meeting between the two took place at the Vice President's Palace, Jakarta, on Friday (February 2).
Amin expressed appreciation for the increasing cooperation between Indonesia and the UAE in education, especially the construction of the Mohamed Bin Zayed College for Future Studies in Yogyakarta, whose groundbreaking was conducted on January 31, 2024.
"This achievement is a concrete cooperation between the Mohamed Bin Zayed University for Humanities (MBZUH) and the Nahdlatul Ulama University (UNU) Yogyakarta to promote the spirit of peace and humanity," he remarked.
The vice president expressed hope that the cooperation would not only be limited to universities but also reach Islamic boarding schools (pesantren). Thus, pesantren, whose number reaches thousands in Indonesia, can become new centers for civilization.
In the field of investment, he commended the increasing investment cooperation between Indonesia and the UAE, especially in the mining sector.
He noted that Indonesia is rich in natural resources, thereby necessitating big investment and high technology to process them.
In addition to mining, he highlighted the high potential of the development of the sharia economy and finance in Indonesia.
To this end, he invited investors from the UAE to not be hesitant to invest in Indonesia's sharia industry and banking sectors.
Furthermore, the vice president and the minister also discussed the issue of religious moderation and world peace.
Amin stated that Indonesia welcomes the UAE Government's efforts to promote the spirit of peace and humanity through the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity, where this year, Indonesia's two Islamic organizations, Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah, were selected as the award winners.
The award ceremony will be held on February 5, 2024, at the Founder's Memorial in Abu Dhabi.
"Insya Allah (God willing), I will be present on behalf of the president to witness Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah receive this very prestigious award," he remarked.
Moreover, he expressed appreciation to the UAE that annually holds the Abu Dhabi Forum for Peace in an effort to equalize the perceptions of countries in building world peace.
"We see that this cooperation should not only be maintained but also increased," he remarked.
Minister of Energy and Infrastructure of the United Arab Emirates, Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei stated that the Mohamed Bin Zayed College for Future Studies in Yogyakarta will be an important part of the efforts to support Indonesia's human resources development.
He also stated that various forms of cooperation between the UAE and Indonesia, especially in investment, continue to run well.
While delivering a press statement after the meeting, the minister stated that one of the priorities of the UAE's investment in Indonesia is the fulfillment of basic needs to maintain food security, including the development of halal food products.
Moreover, he noted that the country's investment priority in Indonesia also still targets the infrastructure fulfillment aspect, including looking at the investment potential in the development of Indonesia's new capital city, Nusantara.
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Translator: Rangga Pandu, Raka Adji
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
