The governments of the Republic of Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have agreed to increase the volume of trade cooperation to USD 10 billion dollars or equivalent to IDR 163.63 trillion per year. This target was agreed upon in a meeting between Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto and UAE Minister of Economy Abdullah Bin Touq Al Marri on the sidelines of the World Government Summit 2025 in Dubai, Wednesday (12/2/2025). Referring to data from the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs, the trade value between Indonesia and the UAE in 2024 will reach USD 5 billion or equivalent to IDR 81.95 trillion. This amount has increased compared to 2020, which was recorded at USD 3 billion or IDR 49.17 trillion when calculated at the current exchange rate. The two ministers are optimistic that this trade target can be realized through the implementation of a comprehensive economic cooperation agreement, as well as increasing investment and tourism.
In the meeting, Airlangga offered the potential for cooperation in the digital economy by inviting UAE entrepreneurs such as G42 and Masdar to invest in Indonesia. In addition, Airlangga also admitted that he was ready to expand flight access to support the growth of the tourism sector which currently reaches around 2 million visits per year. He also highlighted the importance of increasing cargo capacity to support trade growth. The discussion between Airlangga and Abdullah Bin Touq Al Marri also covered the potential for developing aviation infrastructure. Including, plans to build a new airport in the north of Bali to support the Indonesian tourism industry. On that occasion, Abdullah also mentioned the plan to increase flight frequency and add a fleet of large aircraft such as the Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 to major cities. Such as Jakarta, Surabaya and Denpasar.
