Indonesia, Bangladesh committed to enhancing ties

Indonesian President Joko Widodo wrapped up his two-day visit to Bangladesh on Monday and called for stronger ties with the latter. He also extended his support to the Rohingya refugees for their safe return to Myanmar.

"A special chartered flight, carrying him and his delegation departed from Dhaka's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at around 9 a.m. Bangladeshi Foreign Minister A.H. Mahmood Ali was present and saw him off at the airport", a senior official of Foreign Ministry said.

During his visit, Widodo and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina signed five agreements, aiming to enhance bilateral relations, trade and investment, and boosting cooperation in different sectors between both countries.

Widodo had arrived in Dhaka from Islamabad on Saturday and was received by his Bangladeshi counterpart Abdul Hamid and his wife, Rashida Khanam.

Hamid hosted a dinner session in honour of Widodo at the Bangabhaban building in Dhaka on Saturday evening.

The Indonesian President also held meetings with Hamid, Hasina and Mahmood Ali.

Widodo paid homage at the National Mausoleum in Savar, in memory of those people, who were killed in the Liberation War in 1971 on Sunday.

He also paid floral tributes in the memory of former Bangladeshi President and Prime Minister Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum in Dhaka.

Widodo also visited Rohingya camps in Cox's Bazar and inspected the facilities present there.

According to Indonesia's Department of Statistics, trade between Bangladesh and Indonesia currently stood at $1.33 billion, of which $1.19 billion was in Indonesian exports.

Widodo arrived in Pakistan, also on a two-day visit after taking part in the ASEAN-India Summit and the 69th Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi on January 26.

He called on the Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and signed various agreements to enhance cooperation in several fields.

As of now, the Indonesian President is on a state visit to Afghanistan.