POTENTIAL MARKET FOR INDONESIA-IRAN
Depok, 22 Rabi’ul Akhir 1436/12 February 2015 (MINA) – The Ambassador of the Indonesia to Iran Dian Wirengjurit said Iran has a large potential market for Indonesia.
In a public lecture at University of Indonesia, Dian said Iran is considered has limited access due to latest economic sanction in some industries.
“I think that perception is not accurate, because other countries such as Malaysia and Singapore could still trading with Iran,” he explained.
Exploring relations between the two countries, Dian considered there is wrong images from Indonesian side against Iran that needs to be changed.
“While the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam may be soon to exceed us in terms of trade, because they are very aggressive in seeking market in Iran,” said Dian.
He added that Indonesia should be able to take advantage of the opportunity of cooperation with Iran. It was because Iran had a various strategic potential such as oil and gas while Indonesia imported half of its oil and gas to fulfil their needs.
Relations between the two countries has actually been great, he added, but it’s only limited to the MoU. “The MoU was signed, but the MoU was just the first step. The important thing is implementation,” he said.
Iran’s economy is a mixture of central planning economy with oil and companies primarily owned by government and also several private companies. Iran’s economy has been growing since two centuries ago.
At the beginning of the 21st century, gratuities service sector in state spending, PNK, is the highest, followed by mining and agriculture. 45% of expenditure is the result of oil and natural gas, and 31% of the excise. In 2004, Iran PNK was estimated at $ 163 billion, or $ 2,440 per capita.
Iranian trading partners are China, Russia, Germany, France, Italy, Japan and South Korea. Meanwhile, since through the 90s, Iran began to increase economic cooperation with developing countries, including Syria, India and South Africa. (L/P009/R04)
Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)
