PUTRAJAYA, Nov 12 (Bernama) -- Malaysia and Indonesia will not let petty issues raised by certain quarters to sour ties between the two nations but will instead further the work to strengthen the already close bilateral ties, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said today.

Speaking at a joint media conference with visiting Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the prime minister said while certain quarters were out to undermine ties between both countries, in reality, leaders of Malaysia and Indonesia were close allies.

"Although we have a few outstanding issues, they should not take precedence over the good things done by both governments in cementing the ties. We have had close traditional ties like the visit of Indonesian leaders to Malaysia and vice-versa.

"We are looking at forging closer interactions between centres... like media to media, parliament to parliament and non-governmental organisations to non-governmental organisations," he said.

Najib said that during a closed door meeting with the Indonesian president this morning, both of them expressed the hope that more programmes could be organised for the youths of both countries.

They also wanted to see economic ties to be further enhanced, he said.

Najib said while bilateral trade between the two countries were on the rise, except for this year due to the global economic crisis, more needed to be done to increase business activities between the two neighbours.

He said Malaysia hoped that more Indonesian corporations would invest in the country as this too could help foster closer bilateral relations.

"We also spoke about food security and how we can invest together in this area. Indonesia has the land and the manpower. We also spoke on energy security where excess energy in Malaysia could be transferred to Indonesia, especially in rural areas," the prime minister said.

He said that they also agreed that Malaysia and Indonesia, being the world's largest and second largest palm oil producers respectively, jointly take action to counter allegations by Western anti-palm oil lobbyists.

Others areas identified where the two nations could work together, said Najib, was tourism and the halal food industry "where we have a joint interest."

"We have also agreed to establish more mechanisms that are institutionalised so that proactive proposals can be acted upon fast.

"We have also agreed to attract more friends of Malaysia in Indonesia and more friends of Indonesia in Malaysia. This will enable each country to obtain a clear picture of what is happening in the other country should there be issues cropping up from time to time," Najib said.

Taking questions from reporters, Najib stressed that while Malaysia appreciated the presence of foreign workers, especially Indonesian foreign workers in Malaysia, they would have to face the law of the land if they broke the country's law.

"While we appreciate their presence, those who transgress the law will have to pay for their deeds. The same goes for those who abuse their foreign workers, including maids, even if they are Malaysian employers," he added.

The prime minister also said that the Malaysian government hoped that Indonesian workers wanting to work in Malaysia would take the legal path in securing their employment.

"If they come in illegally, then they stand a chance of being exploited by certain quarters.

"We will be just and fair to all, including to Malaysian employers. Everyone has to follow the law," he said.

Najib said: "We have had several high profile cases involving maid abuse. At the same time we also hope that Indonesian workers will not break the law, or they will have to face the consequences... the Indonesian government understands this."

Describing his discussion with Susilo as meaningful, Najib said both sides also agreed to create opportunities in areas like economy and food security.