Jakarta (ANTARA News) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has urged his cabinet ministers to accelerate cooperation projects with other parties in the field of infrastructure, which have yet to start.

"There are projects related to the development of ports, refineries, and others, and the president has questioned why they have not yet started," Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Darmin Nasution remarked after a meeting of the president with ministers working in economic fields at the Presidential Palace here on Tuesday.

According to Nasution, President Jokowi emphasized that investment will soon enter Indonesia by taking steps, such as accelerating the implementation of various infrastructure projects with foreign parties.

"The president has urged to give attention to some projects although this is already a long-term project," Nasution noted.

Seconding Nasutions statement, Coordinating Minister for Home Affairs Luhut Binsar Panjaitan revealed that President Jokowi had ordered to accelerate the implementation of all infrastructure projects.

"This is the presidents order that projects, such as the development of power plants, Patimban port in Subang, toll road, and LRT, be accelerated. The LRT will later be built underground, so that it can be more cost-effective," Panjaitan stated.

He confirmed that the president wanted all infrastructure projects to be accelerated without too many unclear negotiations.

Meanwhile, Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi remarked that the president had requested to accelerate the construction of the Patimban Port Project and the Jakarta-Surabaya fast train, including negotiations with all partners.

"In essence, the president wants all cooperation projects to be accelerated. For the Patimban port project, this afternoon, I will meet the ambassador of Japan, and I will clarify various things. Before this, I have planned a meeting with the Japanese ambassador to prepare the project of the Jakarta-Surabaya fast train," he said.

He remarked that for the Jakarta-Surabaya fast train, a joint study is being currently conducted between Indonesia and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

"For the Patimban port, we are now preparing administrative conditions that we will submit to JICA in September 2017," he noted.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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