Indonesia Ready to Negotiate Free Trade Agreement with Pakistan: Envoy 

Rahmat Hindiarta Kusuma, Charge d’Affaires of the Indonesian Embassy, Wednesday said Indonesia is ready to negotiate a free trade agreement (FTA) with Pakistan, which will promote bilateral trade liberalization and enhance the business volume.  In order to narrow the trade gap between Indonesia and Pakistan, the business community and chambers of commerce from both sides have to engage and promote bilateral economic and trade integration and also stress for exchanging of business delegations and market awareness by the chambers on both sides have to be done regularly, he said.  He highlighted the rich history of friendship and cooperation between Indonesia and Pakistan during a visit to the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) and a meeting with its President Ahsan Zafar Bakhtawari.   Kusuma stressed the importance of utilizing the existing Indonesia-Pakistan Preferential Trade Agreement and working towards a Free Trade Agreement.  He encouraged Pakistani businessmen to explore Indonesia’s potential for international trade and investment, emphasizing the need to strengthen business-to-business relations between the two nations.  He also highlighted Indonesia’s strategic location and established trade ties with the ASEAN region, offering Pakistani businesses access to a market of over 650 million consumers of ASEAN.  The diplomat noted that Pakistan can become a trade hub for Indonesia in Central Asia, benefiting both countries through comprehensive planning.