13th Indonesia–Malaysia consultation yields agreements on trade and education

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim held the 13th Indonesia–Malaysia Annual Consultation at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta. The two leaders discussed key bilateral and regional issues, reaffirming their commitment to strengthening cooperation across multiple sectors.

Among the major outcomes was a joint decision to establish Community Learning Centres in Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak, and Sabah, aimed at providing access to education for the children of Indonesian migrant workers. This is reported by Antara News.

On economic matters, both leaders underscored the importance of boosting bilateral trade and deepening regional integration through ASEAN and frameworks such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). Malaysia is set to host the next RCEP leaders’ summit, with both countries pledging to support broader economic cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region.

Several Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) were signed during the consultation, covering land border arrangements, public health, technology, and communications.

Speaking to the press after the meeting, Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono highlighted the atmosphere of the discussions as open and constructive. “During the bilateral meeting, the delegations of the two countries succeeded in resolving several pending issues, including trade matters and ways to improve them,” he said.

He added that ASEAN’s collective strength should be better utilised: 

"It should be noted that we in ASEAN find inherent strength in our combined population of 680 million, which presents huge potential as both producers and consumers. So why don’t we make the most of this potential?"

Sugiono Indonesian Foreign Minister

Sugiono concluded by expressing hope that the consultation mechanism would be a regular feature of bilateral engagement. “I believe this is an appropriate mechanism, besides also strengthening bilateral relations,” he said.