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Airlangga Invites Switzerland to Strengthen Collaboration in Strategic Sectors
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(Courtesy of the Office of the Coordinating Economic Minister)
C
oordinating Economic Affairs Minister Airlangga Hartarto met on June 3 with Swiss Federal Councilor Guy Parmelin, who is also Head of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research, on the sidelines of the OECD Ministerial Council Meeting 2025 in Paris. The meeting served as a follow-up to Parmelin’s virtual participation at the Indonesia-Switzerland Hydropower Conference held earlier this year in Jakarta.
During their cordial discussion, Airlangga and Parmelin explored potential areas for deepening bilateral ties, including trade, investment, labor cooperation and Indonesia’s accession to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Indonesia-Switzerland trade reached US$2.33 billion in 2024, accounting for 0.47 percent of Indonesia’s global trade. Indonesia booked exports of $1.5 billion and imports of $800 million. Swiss investment in Indonesia also grew significantly in 2024 to $244.9 million, a 63.2 percent increase from the previous year and contributing 0.41 percent of total foreign direct investment in Indonesia.
Around 150 Swiss companies currently operate in Indonesia, while Indonesian diaspora operate 11 businesses in Switzerland.
Airlangga encouraged Switzerland to expand bilateral cooperation in strategic sectors such as technology-driven and low-carbon industries, health and the digital economy.
“We appreciate Switzerland’s hosting of the 10th Joint Economic and Trade Commission [JETC] in Bern this April. Indonesia invites Switzerland to collaborate in strategic sectors including green industrial investment, health care and digital transformation,” he said.
The senior minister also expressed support for enhanced utilization of the Indonesia-European Free Trade Association Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), including in vocational education and professional development.
Regarding the OECD accession, Airlangga said Indonesia had formally submitted the Initial Memorandum, marking a key milestone in the process.
“We thank Switzerland for its continued support throughout the OECD discussions and hope for further cooperation through technical assistance and experience sharing,” he added.
The coordinating minister was accompanied by Indonesia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Febrian Alphyanto Ruddyard, Coordinating Deputy for Economic Cooperation and Investment Edi Prio Pambudi, Regional Development Expert Staff Haryo Limanseto and Deputy Assistant for Multilateral Economic Cooperation Ferry Ardiyanto.
