Iran’s Minister of Information and Communication Technology Seyed Sattar Hashemi and Indonesian Ambassador in Tehran Rolliansyah Soemirat reviewed bilateral relations exchanging views on promotion of cooperation in the field of ICT.
Hashemi stressed the role of the
Joint Economic Cooperation Commission and called for early convention of its
next meeting saying that resumption of its activities will promote the
relations between Tehran and Jakarta.
“Iran and Indonesia have vast
capacities for cooperation which needs to be activiated,” said the Iranian
minster who is co-chairman of the Joint Economic Commission with Indonesia.
"In the past years, despite the
efforts of the Iranian side and the ICT Ministry, meetings of this commission
have not been held,” he added expressing hope that the Indonesian envoy will
follow up convention of the commission’s meeting in the near future.
Hashemi welcomed Indonesia's Vision
2045 which focuses on digital economy and said, "According to Iran’s
five-year development plan, the share of
the digital economy should reach 10 percent of the gross national product,
which shows that the two countries have common goals in this regard."
He introduced cyber security as one of
the areas of cooperation between the two countries, and referred to the projects
implemented by the ICT Ministry in the fields of developing rural
communications, fifth-generation mobile phones, and fiber optic cables for
homes and businesses.
“I would like to express our readiness
to share Iran's experiences in this field, considering the existence of 18,000
islands in Indonesia,” he said.
Hashemi also said that artificial
intelligence can be another field of cooperation, and added, "It is a
special priority, and effective cooperation can start with the participation of
the private sectors and the establishment of joint ventures."
The ICT minister referred to the
existence of large digital platforms in Iran and the common cultural fields
between the two countries, suggesting that the experiences and capacities of
these platforms can also be exchanged with Indonesia.
He reminded that Iran has signed the preferential
tariff document and said, “This document is currently in the possession of the
Indonesian government, and we hope that with its finalization, the economic
exchanges between the two countries will expand.”
The Indonesian ambassador expressed
his satisfaction over meeting with the Iranian minister and announced that he has a special
mission from the president of Indonesia to develop cooperation with Iran.
Soemirat praised Iran's resistance in
the 12-day war of Israel and US in June and said, “Iran is a role model of
stability and resilience.”
Emphasizing the importance of
communications and new technologies, he said, “Neglecting these technologies
will cause countries to lag behind.”
He also proposed digital economy,
artificial intelligence, and new technologies as proper fields for bilateral
cooperation with Iran.