National

Indonesia seeks Saudi's support to host Mega Islamic Bank

Rabu, 31 Januari 2018 | 01:43 WIB

Jakarta, NU Online
The Indonesian government is conducting a campaign to gain support from Saudi Arabia to become the host of the Mega Islamic Bank/World Islamic International Bank (MIB/WIIB). This was stated in a press release from the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Riyadh, received in Jakarta, recently.

The Indonesian government delegation, led by Deputy Minister of Finance Mardiasmo, held a bilateral meeting with Deputy Minister of Finance of Saudi Arabia Hamad Bin Sulaiman Al Bazai in Riyadh.

Indonesian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Agus Maftuh Abegberiel, stated that Indonesia, as the country with the largest Muslim population in the world, deserved to house the MIB/WIIB, which will become one of the alternative banks that can provide access to infrastructure financing for developing countries, especially in the Islamic world.

The ambassador further stated that by hosting the MIB/WIIB, Indonesia can contribute more to the international world. "In fact, Indonesia is the most populous Muslim country in the world, and it is also included in the world's top 20 economic powers. Indonesia also has a positive reputation internationally, for its active role in maintaining world peace through diplomacy," he noted.

"In this instance, Indonesia had asked for views, as well as support from Saudi Arabia, as it is a country that is friendly and has close bilateral ties with Indonesia," he added.

In addition to discussing the plans for the establishment of MIB/WIIB, during the bilateral summit, the deputy minister also discussed efforts to enhance bilateral cooperation, following the visit by King Salman in March last year, in which 11 Memorandums of Understanding were signed.

One of the MoU signed was "the Saudi Fund Contribution to the Financing of Development Project between the Government of the Republic of Indonesia and the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," in which Saudi Arabia had agreed to provide financial assistance for the development in Indonesia. (Antara/Masdar)