President Assigns Trade Minister To Do Several Jobs

Jakarta (Antara Bali) -  President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has assigned newly-installed trade minister Thomas Lembong to immediately do several jobs in an effort to overcome the country's trade problems.

"Yesterday I assigned (the minister) to enhance the overseas promotion of trade, to empower the trade-related special envoys, as well as to push the export-related special envoys to penetrate the non-traditional markets in the Middle East, South East Asia, Africa and Latin America," the president remarked at the Merdeka Palace after receiving the delegation of the United States Senate on Thursday evening.

In addition, Jokowi also asked the trade minister to communicate with trade missions and the economic special envoys of other countries.

 "We should also strengthen relations with countries which we have already engaged good trade ties in efforts to boost export," the president hoped.

Apart from that, Jokowi ordered the minister to take steps for prices stabilization in the country.

The president then asked the trade minister to reform the system of loading and unloading of goods at the ports to make it more efficient. (WDY)