Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia's Daya Anagata Nusantara (Danantara) Investment Management Agency has the potential to forge cooperation with the New Development Bank (NDB), established by the BRICS founding member countries, according to Indonesian Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati.
The minister made this statement following Indonesia's decision to join the NDB, as announced by President Prabowo Subianto after his meeting with Dilma Vana Rousseff, the president of the multilateral development bank, at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on Tuesday (March 25).
"Remember, we have Danantara, which may work in collaboration with the NDB," she told the media at the palace after the meeting.
Indrawati noted that before making the decision, the Indonesian government had assessed and considered various technical matters and requirements that are fundamental for Indonesia to join the international institution.
The state treasurer also attributed this decision to NDB President Rousseff's encouragement for Indonesia to become a member of the development bank, complementing the country's recent entry into the BRICS group this year.
This economic group was originally established by Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, with the group's name derived from the initials of these founding members. Recently, Indonesia joined as the latest member, following the inclusion of Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, and Egypt.
According to Indrawati, Rousseff, who once served as Brazil's president, convinced Indonesia to join the NDB by highlighting the country's potential for development cooperation projects.
When questioned about Indonesia's perspective on the campaign by the NDB, or BRICS in general, to promote alternative currencies to the US dollar for transboundary transactions, the minister refrained from giving a definitive answer.
"I will check and discuss it first," she remarked.
Earlier, in a joint press conference with Rousseff, President Prabowo announced his administration's decision to bring Indonesia into the NDB.
"After consulting with our financial team, the Indonesian government has decided to join the New Development Bank," he remarked at the Merdeka Palace.
While delivering his speech, Prabowo highlighted that the NDB was established to financially support sustainable development projects, particularly in developing countries.
He also emphasized Indonesia's readiness "to follow the procedures and meet the requirements" to join the development bank officially.
