Indonesian president arrives in Pakistan on 2-day visit

Indonesian President Joko Widodo arrived in Pakistan on Friday for a two-day visit, Pakistani officials said.

Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain and the first lady greeted Widodo on his arrival in Islamabad.

Widodo is accompanied by ministers and a large business delegation, a foreign ministry statement said. The two countries are expected to sign agreements to enhance cooperation in several fields.

Widodo will address a joint session of the Pakistani parliament during his visit. He will also hold talks with Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, the statement said.

This is the first visit of Widodo to Pakistan.

"President Widodo's visit will contribute towards strengthening existing fraternal ties between the two countries," the foreign ministry said.

Indonesia is the eighth largest trading partner of Pakistan and Pakistan's largest trading partner in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Pakistan's bilateral trade with Indonesia stands around 2.1 billion U.S. dollars annually.

Pakistan is one of the largest importers of Indonesian palm oil and the foreign ministry says bilateral trade is expected to grow manifold with the grant of duty free access to 20 tariff lines from Pakistan for export to Indonesia under the ambit of Preferential Trade Agreement.

Editor: Wang Shixue