Second Round of Free Trade Agreement Negotiations Between GCC and Indonesia to Commence Today

The second round of negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement between the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and Indonesia is scheduled to take place from February 3 to 6 at the headquarters of the GCC Secretariat General in Riyadh.

During this round, a range of topics will be discussed, including trade in goods and services, investment, economic cooperation, dispute resolution, general provisions, telecommunications services, financial services, intellectual property rights, technical barriers to trade, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, rules of origin, digital trade, and the Islamic economy.

The objective of this round is to build on the negotiations that began in September of last year, following significant progress, with the aim of finalizing the agreement within 24 months.

Saudi Arabia will participate in this round under the leadership of the General Authority of Foreign Trade, with representatives from the Ministry of Commerce; Ministry of Interior; Ministry of Energy; Ministry of Investment; Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture; Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources; Ministry of Economy and Planning; Saudi Food and Drug Authority; Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property; Saudi Standards, Metrology, and Quality Organization; Saudi Export Development Authority; Communications, Space, and Technology Commission; Zakat, Tax, and Customs Authority; and the Saudi Central Bank.

The Saudi negotiating team, led by the General Authority of Foreign Trade, oversees and monitors the progress of trade negotiations to ensure alignment with Saudi Arabia’s trade objectives and policies. It also participates in negotiations to incorporate Saudi positions and coordinates with countries that have similar or aligned trade orientations in international trade matters.