Jakarta, Aug 5 : Indonesia and Belarus have officially agreed to elevate their bilateral cooperation in several sectors, including food security, agricultural modernization, technology development, and investment.

Indonesia's Foreign Minister Sugiono met with visiting Belarusian Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov at the ministry's building in Jakarta on Tuesday, where they discussed various fields, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Sugiono mentioned that the meeting marks Ryzhenkov's first official visit to Indonesia, adding that the two sides agreed to expedite the formation of a joint intergovernmental committee to realize their cooperation.

He underscored that Belarus is an important partner for Indonesia in the Central and Eastern Europe region, and believes that it is built on shared values and a commitment to advancing national and global interests.

"We agreed to deepen cooperation in the agriculture, education, and health sectors, as well as human resource capacity building," Sugiono said, adding that Belarus has proposed a joint research initiative to improve productivity and sustainable agricultural practices.

Meanwhile, Ryzhenkov said that Belarus and Indonesia share a common interest in strengthening political dialogue.

"We welcome the positive momentum in bilateral trade," he said, also emphasizing the importance of diversifying and increasing joint exports.

In a post on X, Belarus Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, "Belarus and Indonesia boosting cooperation. Foreign Ministers discussed trade, agriculture, education and the EAEU'Indonesia FTA. Ready to move from dialogue to real joint projects.' Belarus is ready to export high-quality agricultural and industrial equipment, ensure food supplies, and share experience in modernizing agriculture. We aim for practical, long-term cooperation'."

In another post on X, it stated, "Belarus and Indonesia are strengthening ties. On August 5'7, Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov is paying a working visit to Jakarta. Talks focus on political dialogue, economic cooperation, and humanitarian engagement."

Diplomatic relations between Belarus and Indonesia were established in 1993. Belarus Embassy started operations in Indonesia in 2011. At present, Belarus and Indonesia actively establish contacts and ties in the area of science and technology, according to Embassy of Belarus in Indonesia. The Belarusian-Indonesian Working Group on cooperation in science, technology and higher education continues to function.

/IANS