Indonesia, Uzbekistan Push Faster Trade Deal

RRI.CO.ID, Tashkent- Indonesia and Uzbekistan moved to deepen bilateral economic cooperation through follow-up discussions on establishing a Joint Working Group on Trade and Investment Cooperation during a bilateral meeting in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on Tuesday, June 16, 2026. The initiative reflected both governments’ efforts to strengthen economic resilience amid rising global trade barriers and continued international economic uncertainty.

In a written statement on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, Vice Minister of Trade of the Republic of Indonesia, Dyah Roro Esti Widya Putri, stated that Indonesia considers Uzbekistan a strategic partner and an important economic center in Central Asia. "Trade and investment relations of the two nations are important to balance the trade architecture and create a stronger value chains," she affirmed.

The Vice Minister further remarked that the trade performance between both countries continued showing positive growth over recent years. years. The bilateral trade turnover increased by forty nine percent over the last five years and reached USD 181.4 million in 2025, representing an increase of almost twenty three percent from the previous year.

Both sides also discussed the Indonesia–Uzbekistan Free Trade Agreement as part of broader efforts to accelerate economic integration. The official launch of negotiations on 2 March 2026 marked an important milestone for advancing strategic trade cooperation between both countries.

On this, Vice Minister Dyah said Indonesia expects to begin technical level discussions to finalize the Terms of Reference before the first negotiation round. Indonesia, she added, is ready to prepare the initial draft of the references.

Indonesia also welcomed increasing interest from Uzbek investors and viewed recent investment growth as a promising foundation for stronger future cooperation. The government encouraged closer collaboration between investment authorities and business communities in agriculture, fertilizers, manufacturing, renewable energy, tourism, halal industries, and the digital economy.

Meanwhile, Vice Minister for Investment, Industry, and Trade of Uzbekistan, Ibrohim Ergashev, recommended several issues for discussions at the upcoming senior-level Joint Working Group meeting, especially goods and services trades as well as investment. Ergashev also gave his support for collaboration in empowering small-medium businesses.

The Trade Ministry wrote that Uzbekistan is the 103rd export destination and 58th import source for Indonesian non-oil and gas sector. In 2025, the two countries made a total trade of USD 181.4 million, consisting of USD 72.6 million export and USD 108.8 million import.