The Ministry Of Finance And The Ministry Of Foreign Affairs Strengthen Economic Diplomacy Through The Expansion Of MSME Access

Finance Minister Sri Mulyani (right) with Foreign Minister Reno Marsudi (Photo: Andry Winanto/VOI)

The Ministry of Finance (Kemenkeu) is said to have succeeded in reaching a work agreement with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the expansion of business access for micro, small and medium enterprises.

Minister of Finance (Menkeu) Sri Mulyani said that this initiative is proof of the government's alignment with the populist business sector.

"This collaboration between the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is very helpful for MSMEs, especially in selling their products abroad, because it is certain that the scale of trade MSMEs to foreign countries tends to be complicated," he said at the Pancasila Building in Jakarta on Monday, August 14.

The Minister of Finance explained that the synergy of these two ministries also further strengthens Indonesia's diplomatic steps. The reason is, the increase in economic relations is believed to further reduce the potential for disputes between countries.

"We as a nation must be able to increase diplomatic efforts by increasing our brains instead of muscles," he said.

The Minister of Finance also said that human resources (HR) in the two agencies could exchange experiences and provide up-to-date knowledge about global developments. This is believed by the state treasurer to be quite important in an effort to formulate strategic policies for the government.

"What is clear is that we must safeguard Indonesia's interests in the future without confrontation," he stressed.

On the same occasion, Minister of Foreign Affairs (Menlu) Retno Marsudi said there were three important things in this memorandum of understanding. First, this is real support for the urgency of national economic recovery.

"Second, this is an active role of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Finance in increasing economic diplomacy measures," he said.

And the third is to ensure that economic diplomacy produces benefits for all Indonesian people.

"Obviously the focus here is to encourage MSMEs to go global," he said.