Jakarta (ANTARA) - Coordinating Economic Affairs Minister Airlangga Hartarto accompanied President Joko Widodo to a bilateral meeting with the European Union Commission President, South Korea President, and business forum with Japanese investors alongside the G7 Summit, Hiroshima, Japan.

At the meeting of the President of the European Union Commission, Hartarto partook in discussions on efforts to strengthen various strategic partnerships, including the IEU-CEPA negotiations, follow-up to JETP and Global Gateway, and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.

"The Indonesian Government has also conveyed the development of Green Investment cooperation through the European Investment Bank (EIB), which has opened a representative office in Jakarta in August 2022," the minister noted in an official statement received here Sunday.

In addition, he discussed the issue of deforestation with President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, who said that she would meet the Indonesian delegation, led by Minister Hartarto, in Brussels at the end of this month.

"At the bilateral meeting with South Korea, the Indonesian government conveyed the need to push for concrete achievements, with a direct impact for the people in the two countries, especially in the economic field," he affirmed.

Moreover, the Indonesian Government is encouraging the use of the Indonesia-South Korea Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement facility, launched this year, to boost bilateral trade, which is still below the 2018 target of US$30 billion, he stated.

He highlighted that the Indonesian government is also pushing to expand access to South Korea for Indonesian products, especially automotive products, furniture, food and beverages, textiles, and green products, such as wood pellets.

The minister noted that Indonesia is upbeat that business owners from South Korea can expand investment in five main sectors: electric vehicles, machinery and electronics, textiles and footwear, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, and infrastructure.

In addition, the South Korean government confirmed that it will provide training and access to employment related to the Small Modular Reactor (SMR) in collaboration with the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Hartarto remarked.

He also spoke of having attended a business forum with investors from Japan to discuss potential cooperation between the two countries.

"Indonesia is optimistic at the proposal to increase the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries," he stated.

Currently, Indonesia and Japan are collaborating on several development projects, including construction of the Patimban Port Access Toll Road, the Jakarta North-South MRT, Bekasi Proving Ground, the Jakarta-Semarang semi-fast train route, and the energy transition project between PT PLN and Sumitomo Corp related to the energy transition program.

"Indonesia at the G7 Summit acts as one of the partner countries and represents the G20 Troika with India and Brazil. As the G20 Troika, Indonesia has a special mission to encourage the implementation of concrete deliverables, which became a legacy from Indonesia's G20 Presidency last year," he stated.

Related news: Indonesia, EU complete 14th IEU-CEPA negotiations round
Related news: Indonesia to appeal WTO ruling against nickel ore export ban

Translator: Sanya Dinda S, Resinta S
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
Copyright © ANTARA 2023