Trade officials declared on Saturday that the Gulf Cooperation Council and Indonesia are on track to finalize their free trade agreement by 2026, as they concluded the fourth round of negotiations, according to Arab News.
“Entering the fourth round of negotiations, Indonesia and the GCC have an increasingly solid foundation for negotiations,” Djatmiko Bris Witjaksono, director-general of international trade negotiations at the Indonesian Ministry of Trade, said in a statement issued on Saturday.
Indonesia has been consistently solidifying its economic partnership with Gulf Cooperation Council members. It also signed a landmark Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement with the United Arab Emirates—the first such deal Jakarta has secured with a Gulf nation.
“We are optimistic that the dynamics of constructive discussions and mutually beneficial solutions can be further accelerated so we can reach a substantive conclusion of the Indonesia-GCC FTA by 2026,” Witjaksono added.
In July 2024, Jakarta and the GCC countries formally opened negotiations on a free trade agreement, with the fourth round closing Friday in Riyadh.
“We are hoping that the talks will conclude soon so that we can expand access of Indonesian goods and services to Gulf countries,” said Danang Prasta Danial, director of bilateral negotiations at the trade ministry and also head of Indonesia’s negotiating team.
Indonesia’s trade with Gulf Cooperation Council countries reached roughly $15.4 billion between January and November 2025, fueled largely by exports of palm oil, coffee, jewelry, and motor vehicles.
“We are optimistic that negotiations can be finalized in 2026 and would be an even stronger foundation to strengthen our bilateral relations,” said Raja Munahi Al-Marzoqi, who heads the GCC negotiating team.
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