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Trade barriers placed on foreign products are mistakenly considered a benefit by many politicians, when in fact they hurt their own citizens and economy and in turn make exports more difficult. photo: file
JAKARTA:
Indonesia and the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) have signed a free trade agreement aimed at increasing two-way trade, Indonesia’s trade ministry said on Monday.
The signing of the FTA took place in St Petersburg, Russia, over the weekend, witnessed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and leaders of other countries within the EAEU, which comprises Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia. Indonesia was represented by Trade Minister Budi Santoso.
Under the agreement, reached after two years of negotiations, the union will grant Indonesia preferential rates for 90.5% of its total tariff lines, which gives Southeast Asia’s biggest economy access to the bloc’s 180 million people, the Indonesian ministry said.
The ministry did not provide details about the trade concessions made by Jakarta as part of the agreement. Indonesia has a population of 280 million people.
