Saudi king meets Indonesian president in Jakarta

By Ahmed al-Masri

ISTANBUL (AA) - Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz met Wednesday with Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Jakarta, Saudi Arabia’s official news agency reported.

"The meeting tackled bilateral relations between the two brotherly countries and aspects of cooperation in various fields,” according to the news agency.

“Recent developments in the Islamic and international arenas were also discussed," the agency added.

King Salman arrived in Jakarta on Wednesday en route from Malaysia, the second leg of an ongoing Asia tour.

It is the first visit to Indonesia by a Saudi monarch since 1970.

The king intends to remain in Indonesia -- the world’s most populous Muslim country -- until March 12, Saudi Ambassador to Jakarta Osama Mohamed Shuaibi tweeted.

Jakarta hopes to sign several agreements with the oil-rich Gulf kingdom during King Salman’s visit, including some related to Indonesia’s quota of Hajj pilgrims and cooperation in combating radicalism.

Indonesia also hopes the king’s visit will draw as much as $25 billion worth of Saudi investment.