Indonesian Assistant Deputy for Maritime Resource Downstreaming at the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Amalyos Chan (right), hands over a souvenir to a delegation from the RoKMinistry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries in Jakarta, Monday, March 13, 2023. (Photo: antaranews.com)Jakarta (VNA) - The governments of Indonesia and the Republic of Korea(RoK) held an annual Joint Commission meeting on March 14 to step up maritimeand technological cooperation with discussions regarding climate changemitigation, blue economy, and marine aquaculture technology.
Indonesian Acting Deputy for Coordination of MaritimeResources from the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment,Mochammad Firman Hidayat, stated that Indonesia has a broad and diverse bluecarbon ecosystem, with the potential to reach 3.4 gigatons, or around 17% of the world's blue carbon reservoir.
He called on the two countries to intensify cooperation inthe form of joint research and other collaborative projects related to theprotection and expansion of blue carbon ecosystems to achieve the targets ofcarbon neutrality.
Regarding a sustainable blue economy, Indonesia was committedto supporting sustainable marine management that balances food security andbusiness objectives with sustainability and its long-term impact on marineecology, he said.
He affirmed that the RoK, which has clocked several achievementsin technological progress, is considered to be the right partner for Indonesiato support the development of the blue economy.
The meeting also discussed issues, such as capacitybuilding and technology for marine cultivation and expanding the scope ofcooperation in the field of marine biology, which is also deemed necessary tosupport the main programme, Hidayat elaborated.
He noted that the meeting aimed at continuing and expanding therole of the RoK-Indonesia Marine Technology Cooperation Research Centre (MTCRC)as the main goal of the cooperation.
Meanwhile, Deputy for Maritime Policy from the RoK's Ministry ofMaritime Affairs and Fisheries, Song Myeongdal, urged the IndonesianGovernment to continue the support that has been given in intensifyingbilateral cooperation in the maritime sector./.
