JAKARTA. President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo departed on Sunday for Berlin to begin a five-day working visit to the EU.

During his trip, Jokowi will call on EU leaders to take greater measures to spread peace amid the rise of extremists and terrorism in many parts of the world, the presidential communications team said in a statement on Sunday.

It added that President Jokowi would use the working visit to invite EU leaders to spread the values of peace and tolerance through a variety of channels, including digital methods and social media.

The President would reportedly like to highlight the message that world leaders must work together to seek solutions for new challenges and to promote humanity and justice.

Jokowi is set to visit four countries, namely Germany, England, Belgium and the Netherlands.

The President is scheduled to meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel, British Prime Minister David Cameron and the prime minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte.

The presidential communications team said the trip would mark the first time Jokowi had met three EU presidents, namely the president of the European Parliament, the president of the European Council and the president of the European Commission.

President Jokowi’s working visit is aimed at strengthening cooperation with the EU, especially in economics, and jointly enhancing tolerance and peacebuilding.

Indonesia is looking to prioritize cooperation in trade, investment, maritime resources and water management. The EU is one of Indonesia’s main trading partners and investors.

The trade value between Indonesia and the EU reached US$26.14 billion in 2015, making the EU the country’s fourth largest trading partner. Meanwhile, the EU is Indonesia’s third largest investor with $2.26 billion worth of investment in 2015.

President Jokowi expected that his visit to the four countries would provide real benefits that would be felt by Indonesian and EU citizens, the team said. (Ayomi Amindoni)

Editor: Barratut Taqiyyah Rafie