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Foreign Ministry in charge of finalizing IA-CEPA: Trade minister
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Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita (JP/Anton Hermansyah)
T
rade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita has stressed that the document on the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IA-CEPA) will not be signed this year, explaining that the Australian side had already begun the yearend holiday period.
Enggartiasto declined to say when the document might be signed, explaining that the matter was under the authority of the Foreign Ministry.
“As to when [it will be signed], the foreign minister will arrange it, because it relates to the policy of the foreign minister,” he said in Jakarta on Thursday as reported by kompas.com.
She said Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi was expected to talk to Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne about the fate of IA-CEPA.
Canberra and Jakarta had wanted to sign the trade agreement this December, after several delays.
There was no official statement on the reasons for the delay, but the Indonesian government has expressed its disappointment over Australia’s decision to move its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
The IA-CEPA talks began in 2010. The latest round of talks took place in Jakarta from Dec. 4 to 8, 2017, when negotiators were initially expected to wrap up the talks. However, they failed to settle their differences at the time.
If agreed, the IA-CEPA will cover trade, investment, education, tourism and security matters. (bbn)
