VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Indonesian Ambassador to Tunisia, Zuhairi Misrawi conveyed that after being ratified,  Indonesia-Tunisia Preferential Trade Agreement (IT PTA ) has the potential to increase the value of bilateral trade cooperation to US$1 billion or around 15,44 trillion rupiah. In his statement in Jakarta on Tuesday (10/9), Ambassador  Zuhairi mentioned that  IT PTA includes tariff reduction or dispensation on 250 items. According to the Ambassador, if the value of Indonesia's economic cooperation with Tunisia succeeds in reaching US$ 1 billion, Indonesia will become one of the largest exporters to the country located in  the crossroads of Europe namely Middle East  and  Africa.  

The Ministry of Trade stated that  the total trade of both  countries in 2023 reached US$ 217.6 million or around 3.36 trillion rupiah, and it rose up 1.09 percent compared to the previous year.  Ambassador Zuhairi  also pointed out that the IT PTA which has reached the finalization stage and is ready to be signed by the two countries, will spur Indonesia-Tunisia cooperation  because the absence of such an agreement is one of the significant obstacles in bilateral trade.  He also hopes  the agreement was signed during the momentum of the 2nd Indonesia-Africa Forum in Bali in early September, but it had to be postponed due to changes in the cabinet in Tunisia. 

The signing may be done later in Trade Expo Indonesia in October or waiting for the momentum of the visit of the minister of trade.  He believes  IT PTA will increase Indonesia's export opportunities to Europe, Middle East  and Africa through Tunisia as an intermediary point.  In other parts,  Ambassador Zuhairi explained  that his side is exploring coffee and paper exports to complement Indonesia's main export commodities to Tunisia  which consist of palm oil, furniture,  fishery products, fruits,  and vehicle spareparts.