Iranian Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance Ali Tayebnia on Tuesday held talks with his Indonesian Minister of Finance Bambang PS Brodjonegoro on ways to enhance level of banking ties. Iran, Indonesia call for enhanced banking ties
In a meeting in Jakarta, the two sides emphasized expansion of bilateral economic relations in the post-JCPOA era and explored the ways to ease banking transactions of their economic activists. Voicing regret over sluggish economic ties between Iran and Indonesia over recent years due to unfair western sanctions, Tayebnia said policy of the government of Hope and Prudence is based on cooperation with all the world and friendly countries, especially Muslim countries like Indonesia.
He said that trade between Iran and Indonesia stood at more than two billion dollars in the past, but, it fell down to one tenth of the earliest level due to the unfair sanctions. He expressed hope that regarding recent developments, the JCPOA implementation and the resolve of the two governments leaders for growing cooperation will lead to 10-fold rise in trade.
He said that Iran is firmly resolved to expand ties with Indonesia following the visit of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Foreign Minister Mohammad-Javad Zarif, Vice-President and Head of the Management and Plan Organization Mohammad-Baqer Nobakht, and Minister of Science, Research and Technology, Mohammad Farhadi, to Jakarta and bilateral talks. He pointed to joint economic commission session and said practical measures are taken for expansion of ties.
The Indonesian minister for his part underlined that his governments policy is based on cooperation with Muslim countries and that Jakartas hosting the meeting of governors of the Islamic Development Bank aims to promote cooperation with Muslim countries, the Islamic Republic of Iran, in particular.
He admitted Tayebnias remarks that volume of mutual ties lowered during sanctions era and said now Iranian and Indonesian officials are in consultation to lift the impediments and expand relations. He said the only way for easy development of ties is establishing banking relations between Iran and Indonesia and enhanced banking ties. He noted that his government supports banking ties and to this end, proper information on safe banking ties has been extended to the government and private banks.
Meanwhile, he said that Indonesian government welcomes purchase of crude oil from Iran and investment in establishment of a refinery in the country with Iranian crude oil as the feedstock. He said that currently, fuel consumption in Indonesia is two times the domestic production and that Jakarta welcomes investment by the friendly countries
Source: IRNA - Date: (17 May 2016)