Fijian Minister for Agriculture, Rural, and Maritime Development and National Disaster Management Ina Seruiratu has expressed his countrys keenness to expand cooperation with Indonesia in various fields.
“We have expanded our cooperation with Indonesia in areas such as agriculture, which is paramount for the two countries as well as in the field of residential development,” Seruiratu noted in a press statement of the Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan released on Thursday.
He made the remarks after receiving assistance worth US$5 million from the Indonesian government through Minister Pandjaitan to help alleviate the financial burden of the victims of Cyclone Winston, which left 19 people dead and affected part of the country.
He expressed hope that the Indonesian assistance would strengthen relations between the two nations.
Pandjaitan also said his country was looking forward to taking a cue from Indonesia in mitigating natural disasters as it was also a disaster-prone nation.
“Besides learning from Indonesias experiences, we also want to gain a deeper understanding of disaster mitigation technology from the country,” he revealed.
During his visit to Fiji, Minister Luhut also met Prime Minister Josaia Bainimarama to extend his condolences over the disaster that affected the South Pacific country.
Luhut praised the Fijian premier for his swift action in addressing the disaster.
“I believe that under the leadership of Prime Minister Bainimarama, Fiji would soon recover and rebuild itself,” he added.