Indonesia Wants Boost To Bilateral Economic Ties: CG

Consul General of Indonesia Dr. Jun Kuncoro Hadiningrat has said Indonesia wanted to further develop economic relations with Pakistan by increasing cooperation between the business communities and by establishing linkages between youth of both the brotherly countries

KARACHI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 15th Nov, 2021 ) :Consul General of Indonesia Dr. Jun Kuncoro Hadiningrat has said Indonesia wanted to further develop economic relations with Pakistan by increasing cooperation between the business communities and by establishing linkages between youth of both the brotherly countries.

Exchanging views in a meeting with members of Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry here at the chamber, the Indonesia diplomat said Indonesia was also keen to promote cooperation in IT sector, said a KCCI release on Monday.

He mentioned that for increased cooperation in IT sector, a webinar titled "Indonesia-Pakistan IT Updates � The Development and Challenges" was organized recently under the auspices of Indonesian Consulate which was a big breakthrough. IT experts from both sides stressed the need to promote digital economy between the two countries.

He said Free Trade Agreement between Indonesia and Pakistan, when materialized, would certainly be a great initiative and advised the business community of KCCI to enlist the products that had the potential to increase the bilateral trade.

The Indonesian CG also highlighted the importance of education cooperation as one of the instruments in promoting bilateral relations between Indonesia and Pakistan, especially in terms of people-to-people contact so that they could understand each other's culture.

He said the cooperation between Indonesian and Pakistani universities would pave the way for more inclusive bilateral relations in the academia and education sectors of both countries.

"We need to promote interaction between the younger generation of both countries as they don't know much about each other", he said.

For fostering relations between Indonesian and Pakistani youth that focuses on culture, education, tourism, exchange programs, the Indonesian Consulate has recently launched the first Indonesia-Pakistan Youth Forum (IPYF).

He said that Indonesia laid special emphasis on improving trade and investment ties with the business community of Karachi being international economics hub.

Earlier, in his speech, President KCCI Muhammad Idrees said the bilateral trade was in favor of Indonesia as during 2020, Pakistan exported goods worth $195 million while the imports increased to $2.4 billion, indicating a trade balance of $2.2 billion in favor of Indonesia. "We have no problem with this as Indonesia is our brotherly country but I believe that effective strategies and practical steps have to be taken by both sides to make trade balanced", he added.

For. Improving Pakistan Indonesia trade, he recommended that both countries should focus on exchanging commodities like maize, wheat, flour, rice, non-manufactured tobacco, fresh fruits, nuts, ready-made garments, finished and semi-finished leather, fish and fish products, cotton fabrics, surgical goods etc. "The Halal food industry also holds great potential for enhancing bilateral trade, " he added.

He noted that Indonesia intended to invest in power projects and oil and gas exploration as well which would facilitate Pakistan to learn from Indonesian expertise in producing electricity through coal. CPEC could also attract foreign investment and all regional countries including Indonesia would certainly benefit from this promising project.

Inviting the Indonesian business community to visit Pakistan to see the possibilities and opportunities available here, he asked the Indonesian CG to ensure Indonesia business community's participation in Karachi Chamber's My Karachi Exhibition which was likely to be staged in the first quarter of next year probably in January 2022 as the coronavirus situation had significantly improved.

KCCI Senior Vice President Abdul Rehman Naqi, Vice President Qazi Zahid Hussain, former president Majyd Aziz and KCCI Managing Committee Members were also present.