VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOInews, Jakarta: The Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia (KBRI) in Buenos Aires seeks to reduce the Indonesia-Argentina trade deficit through diversification of Indonesian exports to Argentina. This was conveyed by Sulaiman Syarif, Indonesian Ambassador to Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay in an interview with the Ranah Diplomasi programme aired on Voice of Indonesia on Tuesday (11/6/2024). ‘We are currently trying to reduce the trade deficit by diversifying the entry of export opportunities from Indonesia into the Argentine market,’ Ambassador Sulaiman Syarif said.

It is known that the trade volume between Indonesia and Argentina reached USD 2.57 billion. The surplus on the Argentine side amounted to USD 1.6 billion. Indonesia is the second largest export destination from Argentina to Asia after China, while Argentina is the second largest importer of Indonesian products in South America after Brazil. (OEC 2022 data). This, according to Sulaiman Syarif, illustrates Argentina's position as a world food producer and Indonesia's domestic food needs. "Argentina is a country rich in natural resources and rich in agricultural products. People always say Argentina would provide the food to the world. Argentina is the largest producer of wheat and corn in the world. So indeed they export a lot, including to Indonesia. On the other hand, for Indonesia, it is a necessity that we need agricultural products related to food security,’ said the Indonesian diplomat who graduated from the University of North Sumatra.

Ambassador Sulaiman Syarif identified opportunities for a number of Indonesian commodities in the Argentine market. "We see the market for furniture products, it has great potential here, we have met in the last 6 months with our economic working team, working on approximately 10 importers who annually import 50 to 60 containers, we will continue to work on this, this is one of the opportunities," Ambassador Sulaiman explained.

In addition to furniture products, Indonesian products that are very potential in the Argentine market include palm oil, rubber products and fertilisers. "Palm oil is also one of the opportunities from sustainable palm oil, we are also working on this.
In addition, Indonesian exports to Argentina include rubber products, footwear, spare parts, and electronic devices, as well as fertilisers," Ambassador Sulaiman Syarif told Voice of Indonesia.

VOInews, Jakarta: Indonesia and Argentina are both in line for accession to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Both countries have agreed to optimise the benefits of membership of the organisation. This was conveyed by Sulaiman Syarif, Indonesian Ambassador to Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay to Voice of Indonesia in a Ranah Diplomasi programme on Tuesday (4/6/2024). ‘We have agreed with the Argentine Foreign Minister that we will share our experiences so that we, Indonesia and Argentina, can optimally utilise our membership in the OECD,’ said Sulaiman Syarif.

The commitment is in line with President Javier Milei's policy that makes partnership with ASEAN countries one of his priorities. ‘Under President Milei, who just took his oath in December, President Milei now sees policy towards ASEAN as one of his priorities. So this is one of the good opportunities,’ Ambassador Sulaiman continued.

As is known, Indonesia and Argentina obtained a road map towards OECD membership at the 2024 OECD Ministerial Council Meeting (MCM) on 2-3 May 2024 in Paris, France. ‘Regarding the OECD, of course we can share experiences, it is said that Indonesia and Argentina both received the Accession Road Map in Paris last month, so we share how it is related to for example omnibus law, here they also have made the same regulation, created an omnibus law which among others is to gain investment, then also related to simplification of procedures for investment which I think we also do,’ said the Ambassador who began serving in Buenos Aires on 25 October 2023.

Indonesia and Argentina's membership in the OECD ecosystem is expected to be a way to increase investment and trade volume between the two countries. "So related to the OECD, first of course this is an opportunity for us to share information, then secondly it will encourage the entry of investment, and our task here is also interesting, it is time to encourage outbound investment and in-bound investment. Then of course in terms of trade, with the new policy of President Milei who wants to engage more, wants to be closer with ASEAN, especially Indonesia. Now we are of course talking about trade. Trade relations will be more open and tariffs may be reduced, and we are working on this between Indonesia-Uruguay-Paraguay there is an Indonesia-Mercosur Free Trade Agreement,’ Ambassador Sulaiman Syarif concluded to Voice of Indonesia.

VOInews, Jakarta: One of Turkey's airport ground handling service providers Celebi Aviation is expanding its business in Indonesia. In a special interview with Voice of Indonesia, after the introduction of Celebi Aviation in Jakarta on Thursday (30/5), Turkish Ambassador to Indonesia Talip Küçükcan said Turkey continues to seek cooperation with Indonesia in all fields. According to Ambassador Küçükcan, aviation is an interesting and dynamic thing to work on.

"Aviation industry is one of very dynamic industries in Indonesia, which is a great market for Turkish companies. Today Celebi Aviation which is one of the largest in Turkey actually which is operating in several countries decided to invest here. I think that shows the confidence in the economy and the future of Indonesia by Turkish companies. We would also like to see, of course, Indonesian companies to invest in Turkey. So, this is a good beginning for our country to have closer economic relations.

Ambassador Talip Küçükcan is optimistic that Turkish companies will come to Indonesia considering historical factors and other similarities. Celebi Aviation invested around 7.5 million Euros in the field of ground handling and warehousing spread across 26 airports in Indonesia, after acquiring Indonesian service manager PT. Prathita Titiannusantara. Currently, the Turkish company, which was established in 1958, operates on 3 continents and in 6 countries including Indonesia, with more than 60 branches worldwide, and has more than 300 customers.

VOInews, 2024 Lima, 30 May 2024-Indonesia and Peru began the first negotiations of the Indonesia-Peru Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IP-CEPA) in Lima, Peru, on Monday (27/5). The negotiations are scheduled to take place on 27-30 May 2024. Indonesia and Peru are targeting the completion of the IP-CEPA negotiations by November 2024. The negotiations were officially opened by the Peruvian Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism, Elizabeth Galdo, and the Indonesian Ambassador to the Republic of Peru, Ricky Suhendar.

At the negotiations, the Indonesian delegation was led by the Director of Bilateral Negotiations as Chairman of the Indonesian Negotiating Team, Johni Martha, while the Peruvian delegation was led by the Director of Asia, Oceania and Africa of the Peruvian Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism as Chairman of the Peruvian Negotiating Team, Gerardo Meza. Minister Galdo in his speech revealed, IP-CEPA is expected to provide trade benefits for Indonesia and Peru.

‘The IP-CEPA agreement is not just about trade, but will also expand Peru's presence in Southeast Asia and Indonesia in Latin America. IP-CEPA is expected to provide benefits for both countries,’ said Minister Galdo.The same thing was also conveyed by Johni. According to him, the trade potential between the two countries is still quite large. This is considering the total population in Peru of 34 million people with a gross domestic product (GDP) value of USD 239.3 billion.

In addition, the IP-CEPA can open wider trade opportunities for the two countries. ‘Peru is a non-traditional trading partner of Indonesia that has considerable potential. Peru can be a hub for Indonesian products in Central America and South America. Therefore, theIP-CEPA negotiations play an important role as a way to pave the way and opportunities for wider trade between Indonesian and Peruvian businesses,’ added Johni.

In this first round, the two parties started the goods sector negotiations first. The goods sector includes market access for trade in goods, rules of origin, customs and trade facilitation, economic cooperation, technical barriers to trade, trade security; protection of human, animal, or plant health; dispute settlement; and legal and institutional framework.

Source: Indonesian Ministry of Trade