Agricom.id, JAKARTA – Series of meeting of the ministers of trade in the G20 was virtually held on Tuesday night (22/9) of Waktu Indonesia Barat (WIB). Minister of Trade of Indonesia, Agus Suparmanto said that the meeting was to support series of collective action of G20 members in trade and investment both in the short term and long term to minimize the impact of Covid-19 pandemic.

He also told that Indonesia is committed to cooperate to maintain the markets open and do whatever it takes to facilitate the trade. “Indonesia would do and publish the policy which is the same with G20 Actions in Response to Covid-19, for instance, eliminating some regulations of export and import activities which postpone the flow of the goods. The other thing to do, such as, the limits to masker exports, and self-protection tools could run as long as we stick to the limits, such as, the same agreement, for instance, the transparency, right on target, temporary, and consistent with the regulation in World Trade Organization,” he said, as in the official statement to Agricom.id.

The ministries of trade of G20 also re-emphasized their commitment to make the better trade and investment internationally and support the multilateral trade system reformation. Besides, the meeting agreed that G20 could increase the micro, small, medium business (MSMB) competitiveness both in the pandemic and post-pandemic to increase the diversification of economy and investment.

“Though there were different perspective based on the polarization of the developed and developing countries’ interests, the ministers of trade of G20 agreed within the consensus document of G20 Trade and Investment Ministerial Communiqué as the proof of the same commitment to recover the economy globally which is hit by the Covid-19 pandemic,” he told.

In its intervention, he also mentioned the interests of Indonesia to support the multilateral trade and WTO reformation, digital technology acceleration for the MSMB, the reference about the roles of creative economy in the economic diversification as one priority of the presidency of G20 Indonesia in 2023 and the important principles of flexibility to implement the intellectual rights to guarantee the easy access and reach of medical tools and materials namely in the pandemic situation.

“The easy access and reach of the medical tools and material, namely vaccine is very crucial. G20 should do prevent the irresponsible commercial practices in the pandemic situation by supporting the flexible principles to implement the intellectual rights based on the agreement internationally,” he said.

He also mentioned that G20 would take the developed and developing countries to solve the issues globally effectively and in the economic crisis because of Covid-19 pandemic. The G20 ministers of trade meeting would deliver the important message that apart from every difference, every country should unite to solve the challenge together to solve the Covid-19 and the economic impacts from it.  (A2)