"Today, we have made a working visit to the Tebedu Inland Port and the Entikong Border Cross Checkpoint as part of the efforts to normalize exports and imports through Entikong-Tebedu gate, which will be opened in 2018," Indonesian Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita, accompanied by Malaysian Minister of Industry and International Trade Dato, Mustapha Muhammed, said in Entikong, West Kalimantan, on Thursday.
Enggartiasto stated that the Entikong Border Cross Checkpoint was one of the programs of the government to expedite the development of border areas based on presidential instruction number 6 of 2015.
"We will discuss again the outcome of the meeting to decide what we will agree upon with regard to exports and imports between the two countries. Surely, we hope that the border cross checkpoint would help maximize trade ties to benefit the people of the two countries," he remarked.
President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) inaugurated the Entikong Border Cross Checkpoint in Dec 2016. The construction of international terminal in the vicinity of the checkpoint could hopefully be completed in 2018.
To normalize trade ties between Entikong and Tebedu, Indonesia expressed hope that the Malaysian state of Sarawak, bordering West Kalimantan, will support the normalization of trade ties.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
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