Our goal is to advance the Gresik Special Economic Zone and to promote Indonesia as an investment destinationJakarta (ANTARA) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) expressed optimism that PT Freeport Indonesia's presence in the Gresik Special Economic Zone, East Java, would attract other industries to invest and continue their operations in the region.
"I am optimistic that PT Freeport Indonesia's presence in the Gresik Special Economic Zone would attract other industries to settle in the special economic zone, especially the copper-derivative industry actors," President Jokowi stated at the groundbreaking ceremony for Freeport's smelter factory in the Gresik Special Economic Zone, as viewed from the Presidential Secretariat official's YouTube account here on Tuesday.
Related news: Jokowi asks related industry to do financial literacy across Indonesia
The president reiterated official support for investment in Indonesia by ensuring convenience on permit application and assistance for infrastructure construction. The government will coordinate with its regional counterparts to manage human resources for meeting the industry's requirements, he affirmed.
"Our goal is to advance the Gresik Special Economic Zone and to promote Indonesia as an investment destination," President Jokowi noted.
Indonesia, as a country endowed with abundant natural resources, is among the countries with the largest proven copper reserves, thereby necessitating the construction of a smelter factory in Gresik, he noted.
Related news: Indonesia poised to become seventh-largest economy globally by 2030
Jokowi stated that the government's support for PT Freeport Indonesia's smelter construction work at the Gresik Special Economic Zone aims to facilitate the downstream process for raw copper, as the country should not allow the downstream process to be conducted overseas.
"We have been told that they have smelter factories in Spain and Japan, and this means those countries received greater benefits from the increasing resource value rather than the source country. We decided that PT Freeport Indonesia should establish its smelter in Gresik as a strategic step for the copper industry, especially after we hold the majority stake of 51 percent in the company," President Jokowi stated.
Related news: MSMEs with online presence should increase product quality: Pandjaitan
Related news: A tale of Jokowi's impromptu actions in Papua not caught on camera
Translator: Rangga Pandu AJ, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Copyright © ANTARA 2021
