RI, UAE sign trade pledge

RI, UAE sign trade pledge

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates signed a
memorandum of understanding (MOU) here on Tuesday to improve
bilateral trade relations.

Signatories were Andy Pancha, the vice chairman of the Jakarta
chapter of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and
Hassan Mohammad Bin Al Shaikh, his counterpart from the Dubai
Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Andy hoped the MOU agreement would boost two-way trade with
UAE, which could in future serve as a gateway for distribution of
Indonesian products to other Arab countries.

He said Indonesian products with good prospects to enter UAE
include food, textiles, leather, paper, plastics, metals and
rubber.

A UAE trade delegation led by Hassan is visiting Indonesia to
explore business opportunities.

Dubai's imports from Indonesia have gradually increased in the
past several years. In 1997, they rose to $545.41 million from
$343.19 million in 1993.

Dubai's exports to Indonesia in the same period also
experienced a moderate rise from US$11.069 million in 1993 to
US$44.481 million in 1997. (29)