ANKARA 

Indonesia and South Africa agreed Wednesday to accelerate the implementation of their defense cooperation pact as South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa began his three-nation Asia tour with his first stop in Indonesia.

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto hosted Ramaphosa in Jakarta for bilateral talks focused on expanding cooperation in trade, defense, and other strategic areas.

Ramaphosa will next travel to Vietnam and Malaysia for official meetings.

Speaking at a joint news conference, Prabowo said the two leaders held “good discussions today concerning their bilateral relations.”

“We understand that we would like to take steps to have a perhaps preferential trade agreement or Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement in this period of economic, international economic uncertainties,” said the Indonesian president.

He added that both sides agreed to accelerate the implementation of the Defense Cooperation Agreement concluded in 2023.

Ramaphosa said the two sides reaffirmed the importance of strengthening bilateral ties in political and economic fields through existing cooperation frameworks.

“We agreed on the need to increase trade between our two countries,” he said, adding that he looks forward to hosting Prabowo next month during the G20 summit in South Africa.

The South African leader said they also discussed global issues, including the situation in Gaza, emphasizing the need to reinforce multilateralism and promote peaceful conflict resolution through dialogue.

“We exchanged views on efforts to end the conflict in Gaza and secure a just and lasting peace that realizes the aspirations of the Palestinian people for self-determination that should result in a two-state solution,” he said.

Ramaphosa will depart Jakarta on Thursday for a two-day visit to Vietnam, followed by a four-day trip to Malaysia from Oct. 25 to 28, where he will participate as Guest of the Chair at the 47th Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit.