KUALA LUMPUR: It is imperative that Malaysia and Indonesia uphold bilateral ties in order to reflect the countries' status as "saudara serumpun" (family).
Indonesian President Joko Widodo said the historical bond between both nations are unquestionably strong.
Indonesia, he noted, was among the first countries to establish diplomatic ties with Malaysia when the latter gained independence in 1957.
"Relationships such as this cannot be forgotten. We are a family that shares strong historical bonds.
"Right now, our relationship, in particular economic, trade and investments continues to soar. This is something we have to continue to strengthen.
"Even if trade or investments drop, we cannot neglect this (relationship) and continue to work on it," he said in an exclusive interview with Media Prima recently ahead of the Asean Summit in Jakarta this month.
Total trade between Malaysia and Indonesia grew by 30 per cent in 2022 compared to the previous year.
In 2021, Indonesia was Malaysia's seventh largest global trading partner and the third largest among Asean countries with a trade volume of RM95.31 billion (US$22.98 billion).
From January to November 2022, Indonesia was Malaysia's sixth largest global trading partner and the second largest among Asean countries with an increase in trade volume of 41.7 per cent with a total of RM120.26 billion (US$27.31 billion).
Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim also chose Indonesia as his diplomatic debut as prime minister in a visit to Jakarta earlier this year.
Putrajaya and Jakarta have both pledged to embark on a renewed commitment to not only strengthen the nations' bilateral relations but also resolve outstanding issues.
A number of Malaysian firms have also cemented interest in participating in Indonesia's newly planned capital Nusantara in Kalimantan.