On 10 April 2025, during President Prabowo Subianto's state visit to Turkey, the Turkey-Indonesia CEO Roundtable Meeting was successfully conducted in Ankara and Antalya. The event was attended by Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto, who represented the Indonesian President and delivered the keynote speech, emphasising the importance of strengthening Indonesia-Turkey economic cooperation amid global uncertainty and the protectionist trend in the United States. The event, initiated by the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN) and The Foreign Economic Relations Board of Turkey (DEIK), brought together more than 50 business leaders from various strategic sectors, including defence, technology, construction, health, energy, pharmaceuticals, and vocational education and human resource development. The event provided a valuable opportunity to accelerate the implementation of limited preferential trade agreements to eliminate tariffs and non-tariff barriers for several key products through a more streamlined negotiation process.
Both heads of state have set a target of a significant increase to USD 10 billion of trade transactions. The collaboration also supports the acceleration of the conclusion of the CEPA negotiations between Indonesia and the EU. Furthermore, Turkey's free trade cooperation with Malaysia and Vietnam is a reference for the urgent need to finalise an agreement with Indonesia. The potential for cooperation in the agricultural sector was emphasised by Turkey's Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Ibrahim Yukmali, with particular reference to agricultural and forestry products, considered to be important raw materials for the food, beverage and handicraft industries in Turkey. Yukmali emphasised that protectionist tendencies could become an obstacle to global economic growth. In this context, the role of open cooperation, exemplified by the partnership between Indonesia and Turkey, becomes crucial in sustaining the dynamism of global trade.
