JAKARTA - Indonesia’s Trade Minister Budi Santoso inaugurated the Jakarta headquarters of the Asian Trade, Tourism, and Economics Council (ATTEC) on January 19. 

Located at Permata Kuningan in South Jakarta, officials said that the new ATTEC headquarters will be used to connect Indonesian businesses with partners across Asia. 

Santoso was present during the inauguration alongside ATTEC chairman Budihardjo Iduansjah, ASEAN-Korea Business Centre president Moon Ki-bong, Bank Mandiri deputy chief executive Hendry Panjaitan, and DKI Jakarta Industry, Trade, Cooperatives and SMEs Agency head Elisabeth Ratu Rante Allo.

“Business communication between business actors greatly supports the success of intergovernmental communication. ATTEC is here as a platform that makes it easier for businesses to directly find partners, both for exports and investment,” Santoso said during the inauguration. 

The minister was also accompanied by senior officials from the Trade Ministry, including Secretary General Isy Karim, Director General of National Export Development Fajarini Puntodewi, and Director General of Domestic Trade Iqbal S. Shofwan.

ATTEC bills itself as a regional business forum set up to link companies, investors and policymakers across Asia, and its website frames the group as a platform for trade, investment and tourism cooperation. Launched in 2024, ATTEC’s track record on the ground so far is mainly event- and matchmaking-oriented rather than project financing or policy-making.

“I told businesspeople abroad that we already have many agreements with the EU, which has 27 countries with over 400 million people. If we invest in Indonesia, our export opportunities to the EU will increase,” Santoso added further during his ATTEC office inauguration speech.

Indonesia and the EU have previously concluded ten years of negotiations on the Indonesia–EU Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), promising near-total tariff eliminations. 

Ahead of its expected signing in early 2026, Trade Minister Budi Susanto urged Indonesian businesses, including SMEs, to prepare to enter and compete in the EU market by using business matching events and support from Indonesian trade representatives to connect with buyers across the bloc.