WNAM REPORT: Foreign Minister Sugiono reiterated Indonesia’s commitment to enhancing cooperation with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by addressing and eliminating obstacles and barriers in their partnership.
“There are several obstacles and barriers in our partnership, especially in the commercial sector and the business sector, where sometimes bureaucracy is an obstacle,” he stated at the Indonesia-UAE 3rd Roundtable Discussion in Jakarta on Thursday (Jan 30).
“I want to repeat what the President (Prabowo Subianto) has said, that the Indonesian government will facilitate, which means eliminating obstacles and barriers,” he remarked during a meeting attended by UAE Energy Minister Suhail Al-Mazroui.
Sugiono noted that Indonesia currently aims for an eight percent economic growth rate. To achieve this target, the government aims to implement good governance in the business and governmental sectors.
“More than that, we also aim to create a conducive ecosystem and a supportive system in Indonesian institutions to implement all agreements and all plans that we have,” he stated.
Indonesia and the UAE agreed to several bilateral collaborations that align with the Indonesian government’s priorities, including renewable energy, food security, industrial downstreaming, and the defense industry.
Both ministers concurred that the agreed-upon programs should be expedited to foster economic growth and improve the welfare of citizens in both countries.
Meanwhile, Minister Al-Mazroui demanded transparency from the Indonesian side in partnering to achieve common targets.
He emphasized that Indonesia and the UAE must engage in negotiations, swiftly resolve issues, and build a stronger partnership to work on much larger projects in the country.
“We are ready to invest if given the opportunity. However, at the same time, companies are also offered opportunities in other locations, in other countries, and we need to realize that proposing projects that are impossible for them will not be attractive enough,” he remarked.
He stated that both Indonesia and the UAE share a joint task to attract foreign direct investment into Indonesia.
However, he noted that convincing investors will be challenging without transparency and ease of doing business and investment protection in the future.
During his visit to Indonesia, Al-Mazroui brought along 48 business delegates from various sectors, including energy, industry, special technology, infrastructure, transportation, and education.
“We came to discuss future projects in Indonesia,” he noted.
The close ties between Indonesia and the UAE are reflected in the construction of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and the Emirates Cardiology Hospital in Solo, as well as other humanitarian assistance.
Recognizing Indonesia’s significant potential in renewable energy, the UAE views the country as a key partner and a potential hub for renewable energy development in Southeast Asia.
Recently, the government of Abu Dhabi in UAE also expressed its readiness to contribute to developing one million housing units in Indonesia.
