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Deputy Minister of Trade Jerry believes that a strong relationship with Brazil is key to building good relations between Indonesia and Brazil, especially in economic cooperation.

Deputy Minister of Trade Jerry Sambuaga explained that Indonesia wants to deepen cooperation in newly emerging priority areas and operationalize the action plan for 2023-2026 that was agreed upon in the Indonesia-Brazil bilateral consultation forum in May 2023. Indonesia's priority areas include sustainable agriculture, clean energy, digital economy, and the development of the new capital city.

This was explained by Deputy Minister Jerry after accompanying Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto in a meeting with Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the Ministerial Meeting of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris, France, last Friday (May 3).

"Indonesia conveyed in the meeting with Minister Mauroi Viera that Southeast Asia, including Indonesia, has an agenda to foster the digital economy in the future. This sector can double its value to USD 2 trillion by 2030. This value offers significant opportunities for collaboration and growth. The digital economy is one of the priorities in Indonesia-Brazil cooperation," explained Deputy Minister Jerry as quoted from the Ministry of Trade press release on Monday (May 6).

Deputy Minister Jerry mentioned that Indonesia and Brazil can enhance activities in digital technology and innovation cooperation. As the Chair of ASEAN 2023, Indonesia has also reached an agreement to develop the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA) to advance digitalization and interoperability.

As a vast trading nation, Indonesia not only has economic interests but also a commitment to maintaining rules-based multilateral trade and investment, fair competition, and inclusive and robust global partnerships. Deputy Minister Jerry believes that a strong relationship with Brazil is key to building good relations between Indonesia and Brazil, especially in economic cooperation.

"Indonesia expressed its desire to cooperate in strengthening the global architecture that serves developing countries well. We explained that Indonesia is the largest economy in the dynamic Southeast Asian region with a strong economic performance track record despite facing global challenges," said Deputy Minister Jerry.

Deputy Minister Jerry added that Indonesia also expressed enthusiastic support for Brazil's G20 Presidency this year. Minister Mauroi Viera expressed support for Indonesia's accession to the OECD. (IN)