Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Airlangga Hartarto, and UAE Minister of Economy, Abdullah Bin Touq Al Marri, reached this agreement during a meeting on the sidelines of the 2025 World Government Summit in Dubai on Wednesday.
"Economic cooperation between Indonesia and the UAE can be strengthened through the I-UAE CEPA," Hartarto said in a statement released by his office on Wednesday.
According to ministry data, trade between Indonesia and the UAE reached US$5 billion in 2024, reflecting an increase from US$3 billion in 2020.
The two ministers agreed that achieving the US$10 billion target would require implementing a comprehensive economic cooperation agreement, increasing investment, and boosting tourism.
During the meeting, Hartarto highlighted opportunities for collaboration in the digital economy and invited UAE companies such as G42 and Masdar to invest in Indonesia.
He also proposed expanding flight access to support tourism growth.
"We aim to increase the number of tourists visiting Indonesia, currently at around two million per year. Countries like Greece, Italy, and the US have successfully boosted their tourism sectors using similar strategies," Hartarto said.
He further emphasized the need to expand cargo capacity to support trade growth.
The ministers also discussed plans to develop aviation infrastructure, including a new airport in northern Bali to enhance Indonesia's tourism industry.
Minister Abdullah agreed that airport infrastructure development has been a key strategy in several countries, such as India, which has built 200 new airports to boost tourism and connectivity.
He revealed plans to increase flight frequency and introduce larger aircraft fleets, including the Airbus A380 and Boeing 777, to major Indonesian cities such as Jakarta, Surabaya, and Denpasar.
This decision is based on growing demand for these aircraft and Indonesia’s airport infrastructure, which meets international standards.
Additionally, he emphasized the need to remove aviation restrictions by involving third parties to enhance trade and tourism mobility.
"We see opportunities to increase trade and investment through an open sky policy, based on the UAE’s aviation cooperation experience with Egypt," he said.
The UAE also invited Indonesia to participate in Investopia 2025 in Abu Dhabi on February 26–27, an event that will bring together global stakeholders, sovereign wealth funds (SWFs), and private sector representatives.
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Translator: Bayu Saputra, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Anton Santoso
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