"We have requested a meeting with President Trump for a while, far before the tariff imposition," Sugiono told the press in Ankara, Turkey, on Thursday, in response to questions about the possibility of a Prabowo-Trump meeting following the announcement of US tariffs.
The minister disclosed that Indonesian government representatives, including officials from the Foreign Ministry, have been sent to the US to discuss the proposed talks between the two leaders and also to respond to the US reciprocal tariffs.
He said that Indonesia is currently awaiting confirmation from the White House regarding the date of the planned bilateral meeting.
"We have proposed (these talks) even before (the tariff announcement) as we had conveyed it just after Trump's inauguration," Sugiono emphasized.
On Wednesday (April 9), US President Donald Trump announced a 90-day reprieve for over 75 countries on the day they were expected to be hit with reciprocal tariffs above the 10 percent baseline. However, Indonesia faced a 32 percent tariff.
While suspending the implementation of reciprocal tariffs on other countries, Trump increased US tariffs on Chinese imports to 125 percent.
Indonesia decided to avoid trade wars or retaliatory tariffs, focusing instead on negotiations. President Prabowo Subianto stated that Indonesia would respond by sending envoys to conduct equal and fair negotiations.
"We will open negotiations with the US. We will convey our intention to maintain good relations, and we also want fair relations," he remarked on Monday (April 7).
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Translator: Mentari DG/Galih P, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Primayanti
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