Jakarta, May 18 -- Indonesia's Trade Minister Budi Santoso said he is confident that the negotiation on the Indonesia-European Union Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IEU-CEPA) will soon be finalized as the two parties have shown productive rounds of negotiation.

"Hopefully, we will soon reach a conclusion, given the progressive nature of the talks," he told journalists here Sunday.

The Indonesian government has set a target of completing the IEU-CEPA in the first semester of this year. "We will continue striving to finish the talks," he said.

Earlier on April 29, Minister of Industry Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita argued that the IEU - CEPA would emerge as a strategic instrument for Indonesia to sustain its economic growth in ...