As the head of state and the head of government, King Salman has always attended the earlier G20 Summits, which were the peak of a series of G20 meetings, Majid noted on the sidelines of his activities in Nusa Dua, Bali, on Friday.
"As far as I know, our leader has always attended G20 Summit. Hence, we are waiting for the event. As part of the team, we support Indonesia to recover together, recover stronger," he remarked.
Majid was in Nusa Dua to lead the Saudi delegation to the G20 trade ministers' meeting. He further expressed gratitude to Indonesia as the host of a series of G20 meetings this year.
"On behalf of the Saudi trade delegation, I express gratitude to the Indonesian government, particularly to my friend, the trade minister of the Republic of Indonesia, for his leadership at the G20 trade ministers meeting," he remarked.
He said Saudi Arabia has always made efforts to strengthen trade relations with Indonesia in view of the long history between the two countries, particularly in the trade sector. "Indonesia is the world's biggest Muslim country. We have very good relations with Indonesia," he affirmed.
He said King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had tasked him with strengthening trade relations with Indonesia. "I have received an instruction from King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to strengthen trade relations between the two countries and explore various opportunities to enhance economic relations between the two countries," he remarked.
Baca juga: Arab Saudi pastikan segera mulai negosiasi CEPA bersama Indonesia
Baca juga: Mendag Zulkifli ingin produk pangan RI banjiri Arab Saudi
To that end, Majid said he agreed with Indonesian Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan to immediately begin negotiations on the comprehensive economic partnership agreement (CEPA) under the framework of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
He ensured that the negotiations will be started in the coming few weeks since he had to coordinate with the GCC. Saudi Arabia has formed a team to negotiate on CEPA with Indonesia. He said the two countries have also agreed on a liaison officer to that effect. Saudi investment in Indonesia reached US$60 billion in the past decade, while the trade volume between the two countries achieved US$25 billion in the past five years.
