He said this during a meeting with delegates from the Federation of European Sporting Goods Industry (FESI), according to a statement released on Saturday.
IEU-CEPA can improve trade and investment cooperation between Indonesia and the European Union, specifically in the sporting goods industry, which has shown a positive trend.
"The discussion on IEU-CEPA negotiation topics is expected to be resolved immediately by the end of this year, in accordance with the commitment between the two heads of state during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G7 Outreach summit in Hiroshima sometime ago," he added.
He said that FESI has an important role in bringing about the resolution of IEU-CEPA negotiations, which will enter their 15th round in July.
The two parties also agreed to collaborate to formulate an Indonesian road map for improving the sporting goods industry that can create millions of jobs.
Hartarto said he also expects that the existing sporting goods industry in other Asian regions will diversify their supply chains by increasing investment in Indonesia to support the national economy.
This is especially beneficial given that Indonesia has undertaken numerous structural reforms to create a good investment climate and facilitate entrepreneurs' activities.
He said he expects that FESI will convince EU entrepreneurs concerning IEU-CEPA, which can support cooperation between the two parties' private sector, especially for companies in the sporting goods sector.
Hartarto also informed that Indonesia appreciates FESI's support to the country's sporting goods industry as well as FESI's encouragement to the European Commission to swiftly resolve the IEU-CEPA negotiation.
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Translator: Sanya Dinda S, Fadhli Ruhman
Editor: Anton Santoso
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