Jakarta. Chief Economic Affairs Minister Airlangga Hartarto recently held bilateral talks with several Russian top government officials during his overseas trip to Moscow.

They included Former Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov, as well as Economic Development Minister Maxim Reshetnikov. 

Airlangga alongside Manturov then co-chaired a joint intergovernmental commission meeting on economic cooperation. The talks revolved around boosting cooperation on trade, investment, tourism, as well as renewable energy. Manturov said that the last time Indonesia-Russia held such a meeting was 6 years ago. Manturov added: “Our economic cooperation has been growing very dynamically amidst the current global conditions.”

Airlangga also talked of Indonesian palm oil exports to Russia. Indonesia is also hoping that its fishery products get registered in Russia. The Southeast Asian country is also seeking completion in the negotiations for a free trade agreement (FTA) between Indonesia and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). Indonesia is hoping to wrap up the FTA negotiations in July 2024.

“We also need to sit together to discuss how we can increase the number of tourist visits by having direct flights between the two countries,” Airlangga said.

Both countries also agreed to the plans for a Russian business delegation to visit Indonesia. They will also hold another intergovernmental commission meeting in Indonesia this December.

In a separate talk with Reshetnikov, the Russian government official expressed concerns regarding the agricultural and livestock sectors, including the beef registration process in Indonesia. Russia is also seeking to increase its wheat exports to Indonesia. Reshetnikov also talked about halal certification and bilateral metallurgy industry cooperation. Again, Airlangga talked about the need to secure the Indonesia-EAEU FTA.

“We ask Russia's support for this trade pact completion. This agreement will be able to increase exports, and provide a strong incentive for companies to increase their business activities in both countries,” Airlangga told Reshetnikov.

During the visit, Airlangga also received an award from the Russian government that recognized his contribution to international cooperation with Russia, particularly in terms of economic ties. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin handed over this award.