Minister Pushes Investment Acceleration in Indonesia-GCC FTA Talks

Jakarta: Indonesia's Trade Minister Budi Santoso met the Saudi Arabian government to push for the acceleration of the Indonesia-Gulf Cooperation Council Free Trade Agreement (Indonesia-GCC FTA) negotiations.

In a meeting with Saudi Arabian Commerce Minister Majid bin Abdullah bin Osman Al Qasabi in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, on Wednesday (Sept 30), Santoso affirmed Indonesia's commitment to resolve investment issues in the negotiations, especially security guarantees and certainty for investors.

"Indonesia is fully committed to complete the Indonesia-GCC FTA negotiations, including discussions on investment and investor protection," Santoso said, quoted from Antara, Friday, September 2, 2026.

Indonesia hopes Saudi Arabia's support could help accelerate the conclusion of the negotiations, so that trade and investment cooperation with GCC countries may be strengthened.

The Indonesia-GCC FTA negotiations have shown significant progress since their fourth round on January 19-22, 2026, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Most of the agreement text has been successfully agreed upon. Indonesia continues to push for the completion of discussions on market access for goods and other issues that still require agreement, so that the negotiations can be concluded in 2026.

Santoso also stressed the importance of strengthening cooperation between Indonesia and Saudi Arabia in strategic sectors that benefit both countries, including energy, minerals, agriculture, fisheries, tourism, and human resource development.

In addition, he proposed cooperation on food product trade as a form of direct support for providing quality food for Hajj and Umrah pilgrims.

Al Qasabi welcomed Indonesia's commitment to accelerate the completion of the Indonesia-GCC FTA negotiations.

Saudi Arabia expressed its commitment to strengthen cooperation with Indonesia in strategic sectors and identified various sectors that could be jointly developed.

Al Qasabi also proposed the establishment of a permanent "Indonesia Village" (Kampung Indonesia) as part of the Riyadh Expo 2030.