President Jokowi Entrusts King Salman With Protecting Indonesians In Saudi

BOGOR, W Java, March 2 (Antara) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has entrusted Saudi King Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud with protecting the rights of Indonesians currently living in Saudi Arabia. "The president has sought the king's protection for the Indonesians who live in Saudi Arabia and have been actively contributing to the development of Saudi," Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi noted in a press statement along with Saudi State Minister for Foreign Affairs Nizar bin Obaid Madani at the Bogor Presidential Palace, Wednesday. Madani is one of the ministers who is part of King Salman's entourage during the visit to Indonesia on Mar 1-9. King Salman's state visit is being viewed as being strategically important in enhancing cooperation between the two countries, specifically in terms of offering greater respect and legal protection to every citizen. The Foreign Ministry's spokesman Arrmanatha Nasir had earlier underlined the importance of the Indonesian government seeking assistance on legal protection from its Arabian counterpart. "The number of Indonesians (living) in Saudi reaches 800 thousand. Hence, we are striving to seek legal assistance if there is any Indonesian looking for help in Saudi," he noted. In addition to discussing several issues related to the people's interests, both President Jokowi and King Salman had agreed to improve cooperation in various fields, including trade and investment. President Jokowi, in particular, has persuaded King Salman to eliminate trade barriers. Indonesia is expecting to have greater access for marketing its domestic products in the Saudi, such as halal products, fisheries commodities, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, as well as textile and garment products.