Jakarta. Indonesia recently revealed that the country had been making some progress in its dream of becoming a full-fledged member to the Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Indonesia has been eyeing a seat at the OECD with hopes that the rich country club's tough standards can catapult its economic growth. Indonesia officially became a candidate country to the OECD last year, and has to undergo some reviews before it can officially join.

Chief Economic Affairs Minister Airlangga Hartarto had met with OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann in Paris on Wednesday local time for some talks regarding the so-called initial memorandum. This document contains Indonesia's self-assessment of its regulations against OECD's standards.

Indonesia claimed it had "witnessed a significant progress" in its initial memorandum self-assessment process. The government has also included the OECD accession in its 2025-2029 medium-term national development plan. This is a plan of action that lays out the government's priorities and strategies over the next five years. Indonesia has added the OECD bid to President Prabowo Subianto's Asta Cita or the eight core missions that he has set for his presidency, which includes food and energy self-sufficiency.

Airlangga said Indonesia should be able to formally submit the initial memorandum when ministers of the the organization's decision-making body -- the OECD council -- gather in early June. Airlangga told Cormann that the secretariat had been helpful in drafting the document particularly in assessments related to areas such as trade, investment, and anti-corruption.

"We warmly welcome OECD Secretariat's support for future technical discussions," Airlangga said.

The minister also tried to lobby the ambassadors of OECD nations during the Paris trip in hopes to secure some extra backing.

"The Indonesian government's priority at present is to boost competitiveness, productivity, and investment. This is all to create jobs and gradually achieve the targeted 8 percent growth," Airlangga told the diplomats.

The OECD accession roadmap wrote that submission of the initial memorandum would mark the start of the technical reviews. Indonesia has to pass these reviews with flying colors if it wants to be part of the OECD. The organization's committees may even recommend some changes to bring Indonesia's legislation more in line with OECD's legal instruments. In the end, Indonesia will still have to secure unanimous approval from all members. The OECD is a 38-member grouping which includes the US, Japan, New Zealand, and even Israel.

Airlangga also revealed Cormann's plans to visit Indonesia again this October. The OECD boss had already met Prabowo at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta last November. Cormann told the press at the time there were "no obstacles" to Indonesia's accession, while adding that the group had not set a deadline on when Indonesia should complete the entire process.

"There is no set time table. The process will go as quickly as possible and take as long as necessary. What is important is that the reforms that are being pursued genuinely deliver the benefits for the people of Indonesia that we are seeking to achieve together when it comes to increased incomes and living standards," Cormann said.

Airlangga's trip and lobbying efforts show that the OECD membership remains in Indonesia's agenda despite its recent entry to the BRICS bloc. BRICS is a China and Russia-led informal grouping of emerging economies that is often dubbed as a counterweight to western influence. On many occasions, Prabowo has said that he wanted to have Indonesia befriend all countries. Indonesia is hoping to become an OECD member within the next three or four years.

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