VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Indonesia will have several opportunities that it could leverage to bring about an economic recovery and support the economic growth target of 4.5-5.5 percent in 2021, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Airlangga Hartarto, said.

“In 2021, it is time to return to work, to develop businesses again, to be optimistic about taking advantage of opportunities for economic recovery,” Minister Hartarto said at the 2021 Indonesian Economic Outlook meet in Jakarta on Tuesday.

The COVID-19 vaccine will be a game-changer for the national economy amid the pandemic and provide an opportunity to improve economic recovery in 2021, he remarked.

"In accordance with the President's direction, the vaccination can be carried out by the end of January," he added.

The Indonesian government has imported 1.2 million doses of Sinovac’s vaccine from China and is scheduled to obtain raw materials for another 15 million doses in December, 2020, and 1.8 million vaccine doses in January, 2021.

In addition to the immunization program, Hartarto said, the implementation of the Job Creation Law would also serve as an opportunity to encourage economic recovery in 2021.

The government is currently preparing a list of investment priorities and working on establishing an Investment Management Institution (LPI), which is being supported by a number of countries with an initial capital of up to US$6 billion, he informed.

The Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs added that other opportunities that could leverage the economy are the food security program, industrial area development, mandatory B-30 program covering 17 million workers, labor-intensive programs, and digital economy development.

"The current development of the digital economy is US$40 billion, whose potential in 2025 is US$133 billion in Indonesia and US$150 billion in ASEAN," he said.

Signs of economic recovery have begun to appear, such as the strengthening of the Jakarta Composite Index (IHSG), which in December reached the level of 6,100, he noted.

The recovery in the manufacturing sector is also evident in the improvement in the Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) of Indonesian Manufacturing, which currently stands at 50.6, he pointed out.

Several sectors that grew during the pandemic will also become growth levers, including agriculture, information and communication, health services, and education, he added.

In terms of commodities, CPO, nickel, and precious metals, which became a safe haven during the pandemic, as well as other opportunities in the export market, including the signing of the RCEP trade agreement between ASEAN countries and trading partners, including China, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand, will also aid economic recovery, the minister said.

"Likewise, the cooperation between Indonesia and EFTA in Europe, the Australian CEPA, the Korean CEPA and the extension of the GSP, of course, can encourage an increased limited trade agreement. This cooperation encourages export performance and improves Indonesia's position in the global value chain,” he added. (antaranews)

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuolu paid a visit to Jakarta on Tuesday to meet his Indonesian counterpart, Retno L. P. Marsudi, and discuss President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's planned return visit to Indonesia in 2021.

Erdogan plans to visit next year to reciprocate Indonesian President Joko Widodo's visit to Turkey in 2017, Marsudi notified the press.

The return visit will offer the necessary momentum to strengthen bilateral relations between Indonesia and Turkey, Marsudi noted in a joint press conference with the Turkish foreign minister.

Çavuolu affirmed that both nations would likely form a High-Level Strategic Council as a concrete step to intensify bilateral cooperation.

The High-Level Strategic Council will likely be inaugurated when Erdogan visits Indonesia, he noted.

The plan to form a strategic council is still being deliberated by the foreign ministers of both nations.

"We are currently exploring the formation of a High-Level Strategic Council that will serve as a forum for the leaders of the two countries to regularly discuss various bilateral, regional, and multilateral issues of common interest," Marsudi remarked after the meeting with her Turkish counterpart.

Çavuolu's, the first visit by Turkey's foreign minister on a bilateral basis in 15 years, coincided with the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Indonesia and Turkey this year.

Both ministers also explored potential cooperation in several fields and discussed various regional and international issues, including on Palestine and bolstering cooperation between Turkey and the ASEAN.

Marsudi emphasized the importance of strengthening multilateralism to overcome the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It is important for the two countries to continue to support multilateral vaccines and ensure fair and equitable access for all," she affirmed.

Meanwhile, Çavuolu stated that Indonesia and Turkey, as predominantly Muslim countries, still face the threat of Islamophobia - hatred of Islam. Hence, both nations must work together to tackle such challenges, he emphasized.

Marsudi remarked that Indonesia and Turkey will jointly strengthen the Islamic Cooperation Organization (OIC) to solve various problems in the Islamic world and for boosting public welfare.

The Turkish foreign ministers were later scheduled to pay a courtesy call on President Joko Widodo. (Antaranews)

The Indonesian and Turkish governments are on the same page to continue negotiations on the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IT-CEPA) that is targeted for completion by 2021, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi stated.

"We agreed to continue the Indonesia-Turkey Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IT-CEPA) negotiations, with the hope that it will be completed in 2021, as mandated by the two leaders of Indonesia and Turkey," Marsudi noted after meeting Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuolu at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs here on Tuesday.

Indonesia and Turkey commenced negotiations on IT-CEPA in January 2018 in Jakarta, a few months after President Joko Widodo undertook a state visit to Ankara in July 2017.

Both nations have, so far, concluded the fourth round of IT-CEPA negotiations held on January 30-31, 2020, in Ankara, Turkey.

During the meeting, the delegations of both nations discussed plans to lower and eliminate tariffs, as well as various issues related to customs, quarantine of goods, legal affairs, trade facilities, and security.

IT-CEPA is projected to help Indonesia and Turkey increase the value of bilateral trade that is currently not considered optimal.

Minister Çavuolu stated that the total trade volume between both nations had only reached US$1.5 billion (some Rp.21.2 trillion).

"1.5 billion US dollars ... is still far from our true potential," Çavuolu stated.

Both nations agreed to boost the total trade value to US$10 billion (some Rp141.45 trillion) through IT-CEPA.

Çavuolu also highlighted that Turkey had agreed to boost the value of investment in Indonesia.

"Turkish companies are interested in investing in Indonesia even in the midst of a pandemic," he stated.

Marsudi highlighted that the Indonesian government had welcomed the interest of Turkish investors in investing more in Indonesia.

The two countries are currently holding discussions on several cooperation projects in the fields of shipping, agriculture, and infrastructure.

"After the virtual meeting between the minister of public works and public housing of Indonesia and the minister of trade of Turkey last July, we have seen the high interest of Turkish construction companies to invest in infrastructure development in Indonesia, especially in toll road and dam projects," she noted.

Both nations have actively explored cooperation in the defense industry. Last week, Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto had embarked on a visit to Turkey to explore cooperation.

In the technology and industrial sectors, Indonesia and Turkey began intensive talks since June 2020 to promote cooperation in the aerospace industry and medical and pharmaceutical technology as well as for the production of electric cars, rocket and shuttle launch sites, satellites, and satellite launch vehicles, according to Marsudi.

The Turkish foreign affairs minister is in Jakarta to discuss preparations for a planned visit of President Erdogan to Indonesia. (Antaranews)

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) named six figures as new ministers for the Onward Indonesia Cabinet as he made a virtual announcement from the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on Tuesday.

"Today, I and the vice president would like to announce the new ministers that will occupy their positions in the cabinet of Indonesia Maju, and I will introduce each one," President Jokowi remarked.

The president later drew attention to his aides, who were dressed in a white shirt and blue jacket.

"The first one is Tri Rismaharini, as I think we all know that she is currently the mayor of Surabaya and I assigned her the role of minister of social affairs," Jokowi stated.

Jokowi introduced Sandiaga Uno, a businessperson, who is concurrently the former vice governor, to Anies Baswedan in Jakarta, to fill his position of the tourism and creative economy minister.

The president thereafter named Budi Gunawan Sadikin, current vice minister of Erick Thohir in the Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) and concurrently the president of Bank Mandiri as well as the president of PT. Indonesia Asahan Aluminium, as the health minister.

"The fourth, Yaqut Cholil Qoumas. He is a Muslim leader, the chief of GP Ansor -- a youth movement under Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), one of the biggest Islamic organizations of Indonesia, to be the minister of religious affairs," Jokowi stated.

The fifth is Sakti Wahyu Trenggono, who is the current vice minister of defence, as the minister of maritime affairs and fisheries.

"The last is M. Luthfi, who was the minister of trade as well as Indonesian ambassador for Japan and the United States. Now, I assigned him to lead the Ministry of Trade," the president stated.

The official inauguration for all six of the new ministers will be held tomorrow, Wednesday (December 23). (Antaranews)