Zulkifli Hasan, Indonesia's Trade Minister, announced the formation of a joint committee to study the progress of the Indonesia-United Arab Emirates Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IUAE-CEPA).
"We hope the UAE will become a hub (for Indonesian export products) to enter the Middle East, such as Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries. To implement this, we have established a joint committee to continue to discuss how far this can go well," Hasan said here on Sunday.
He stated during the press conference of the 23rd ASEAN Economic Community Council (AECC) meeting in Jakarta that Indonesia and the UAE will sign the IUAE-CEPA in 2022. Hasan stated that the Indonesian government has produced derivative rules on IUAE-CEPA technicalities, such as ministerial regulations on finance, commerce, and industry. Hasan added during his meeting with UAE Foreign Trade Minister Thani Bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi that his side also urged the launch of business talk shows between Indonesian and UAE business actors to further boost bilateral trade cooperation.
"We hope that both parties carry out a trade mission, and we have visited UAE recently," he explained.
During the discussion, Hasan expressed Indonesia's support for the UAE hosting the 13th World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference, which will take place in Abu Dhabi on February 26-29, 2024. Furthermore, Hasan stated that the Indonesian Commerce Ministry met with corporate actors in order to reach an agreement on facilitating ASEAN digital commerce.
"Everything will be facilitated. ASEAN will be one of the leading (region) in the fields of trade, investment, and services. We will be paperless so that we can compete with other countries," he said.