RI trade mission to Iran

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Industry and Trade Luhut Pandjaitan will lead a trade mission to Iran in September to improve bilateral trade between the two countries, which has been declining for the past four years.

A statement issued by the ministry on Thursday said Luhut was looking for opportunities to strike cooperation agreements in basic industry, commodities and science and technology during a three-day visit from September 4 to September 6.

Last year, Iran was the third largest export market for Indonesia in the Middle East after the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

Indonesia's major export commodities to Iran include paper and paperboard, specialty yarn, textile fabrics, wood products, milk and cream products. While Iran exports petroleum products, ingots and primary forms of iron and steel, aluminum, fertilizers, fruits and nuts. (cst)