Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak said on Thursday that Malaysia and Indonesia will further strengthen their ties despite petty issues between the two countries.

Najib said that although there were a few outstanding issues existing, they should not take precedence over the good things done by both governments of the two countries in cementing their ties.

The two countries had close traditional ties like the frequent exchanges of visit by the leaders of the two countries, he said at a joint media conference with visiting Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono who arrived here on Wednesday for a two-day visit.

The two countries were looking at forging closer interactions at various levels, like media to media, parliament to parliament and non-governmental organizations to non-governmental organizations, Najib said.

Najib also said that during a closed door meeting with the Indonesian president, both of them expressed the hope that more programs could be organized for the youths of both countries.

The two countries also wanted their economic ties to be further strengthened, he added.

Najib expressed hope that more Indonesian corporations would invest in the country to help foster closer bilateral relations.

He noted that Indonesia has the land and the manpower, while Malaysia has excess energy that could be transferred to Indonesia.

Najib met with Susilo Thursday morning in Putrajaya, administrative center of the Malaysian federal government.

Najib said the two sides discussed how to cooperate in investing together in the area of food security as well.

Malaysia and Indonesia agreed to act jointly to counter allegations by Western anti-palm oil countries, he said.

Malaysia and Indonesia currently are the major palm oil producers in the world.

The two countries also identified tourism and the halal food industry as areas that they have common interest and can work together, according to Malaysia's national news agency Bernama.

On the issue of foreign labor in the country, Najib said that Malaysia appreciated the presence of foreign workers, especially Indonesian foreign workers in Malaysia, but they would have to face the law if they broke it.

He hoped that Indonesian workers wanting to work in Malaysia would take the legal path in securing their employment.

Susilo said he chose Malaysia for his first state visit after his re-election as the Indonesian president as he felt that Malaysia was a close friend, a neighbor and a partner.

He said the visit was also aimed at maintaining cordial relations between both countries.

He noted that if a problem comes up, it must be resolved wisely and appropriately to maintain the good ties and cooperation as some differences of opinion occurred once in a while.

Susilo said both countries agreed to enhance bilateral cooperation in economy, education, international relations and the people's contacts.

The two countries can do more to enhance their bilateral and multilateral cooperation, for example, in the Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand Growth Triangle (IMTGT), said Susilo.