Industry and Commerce Minister Dr. Hassan Fakhro revealed that trade have recently seen a positive development, with an increase from about some $39million in 2009, to over $140million in 2011. Bahrain exports to Indonesia have also witnessed a notable increase from 5 Million Dollars in 2009, to almost $93million in 2011.
“This shows the growing importance of the Indonesian market for trade and our future endeavors,” Minister said.
This came during his speech delivered at the Exploring Opportunities in Trade, Tourism and Investment seminar which was held under the auspices of the Minister of Industry and Commerce and organized by the Indonesian Embassy.
Dr. Fakhro confirmed that the significant development between the two countries would also open new avenues for our mutual cooperation. Our main objectives are for attaining a knowledge-based economy for creative innovation, for enhanced productivity, for marked competitiveness, and for sustainability, are but many of the range of possibilities for our joint cooperation.
He noted that mutual areas of common interest may also cover the industrial sector hi-tech options, and enhanced development of Small and Medium Enterprises. Food security is particularly important to our country, commodities that your great country is blessed with, supplies and regional and international trading and distribution logistics.
The minster stressed to not overlook the Service Sectors, including health, education, and especially financial services. Bahrain, is a global leader in Islamic finance, and has a well-established financial sector that involves over 400 financial institutions, and contributes to our 25% of Bahrain’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
More recently, the 2012/13 Global Free Zones of the Future Top 50 Rankings, released by Foreign Direct Investment Magazine has included four Bahraini zones, namely, Bahrain International Investment Park “BIIP” ( ranked 15), Khalifa Bin Salman Port (ranked 16), Bahrain International Airport (ranked 19) and Bahrain Logistics Zone (ranked 30). Such recognition shows how far Bahrain has gone in establishing it’s distinguishes regional supply chain logistics infrastructure.
Dr. Fakhro confirmed that Indonesian visit is a positive signal to our respective private sectors, for forging closer ties with their counterparts, with a view to help creating deeper understanding of business environments, and highlighting potential areas for further beneficial gains.