Azerbaijan seeking mutual direct delivery of goods with Indonesia - ambassador
Azerbaijan is seeking direct delivery of goods from Indonesia and vice versa, Azerbaijan Ambassador to Indonesia Tamerlan Garayev said.
The ambassador said that Azerbaijan is keen to boost trade with Indonesia, as well as seeking fresh investment opportunities in this country's economy, The Jakarta Post reported.
At present, bilateral trade between Azerbaijan and Indonesia is carried out through other countries, such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Turkey.
"The quality and prices of [Indonesian] goods, such as furniture, are really good in Azerbaijan [That's why] we want to make it easier for our investors and traders by having direct connections with Indonesian partners," Garayev said.
Apart from buying more from Indonesia, Azerbaijan is also seeking to export more, which would include agriculture products, such as fruit, vegetables and cotton, and chemicals, he added.
The ambassador said that Azerbaijani investors would also look into investing in sectors where they demonstrated expertise, such as oil refining, infrastructure and agriculture.
Newly appointed Industry Ministry director general for international industrial security and access development Achmad Sigit Dwiwahjono for his part said that Indonesia has an interest in encouraging sales of natural rubber to feed numerous tire factories in Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan currently buys Indonesian natural rubber from other countries, particularly the UAE.
In terms of investment, Sigit said, the government would welcome any project to help spur growth in the downstream industry, particularly agriculture-based sectors.
"There is a potential for Azerbaijani firms to engage in short-term infrastructure projects, such as seaports in the 14 planned industrial estates nationwide," he added.
Crude oil is the major commodity that Indonesia buys from Azerbaijan. Meanwhile, Indonesian exporters ship primarily wood products, refrigerators, table and kitchenware, paper and soap.
Trade between Indonesia and Azerbaijan has followed an upward trend in the past five years, surging by 21.84 percent on average each year to reach $2.43 billion in 2014. Of that figure, Indonesia's exports only totaled $5.57 million.
