EUforAsia Brussels Briefing – 8 November 2011 Dozens of bilateral regional trade agreements (RTAs) are in force in the Asia-Pacific and many more are being negotiated, said Arif Havas Oegroseno, the Republic of Indonesia’s ambassador to the EU, Belgium and Luxembourg. The crisis of 1997-8 was a wake-up call for South-East Asia and saw countries realise that they needed partnerships and common standards to facilitate trade with their neighbours, Oegroseno explained. “Indonesia has withstood the [current] crisis well. The spread of RTAs in Asia has helped to keep trade going even as world trade has collapsed,” he said. More information in the attachments.
