Natalegawa: Bilateral Tour to Boost Partnership with US, Mexico

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa went to Mexico and the United States last week to strengthen bilateral relations. US Secretary of State John Kerry said the United States viewed Indonesia as a key partner in the Asia-Pacific region.

"We are particularly interested in furthering this relationship as much as we can because Indonesia plays such a critical role in the balance of interests in that region," Kerry said.

At a meeting in Washington D.C., Natalegawa emphasized the importance of Indonesia's relationship with the United States.

"We enjoy what we call 'comprehensive partnership'," Natalegawa said. "It's a broad subject on which we cooperate on a great deal of mutual interests."

The diplomats talked about the Syrian war and security in the South China Sea, Iran, Myanmar and the Korean Peninsula. Kerry stressed the United States' commitment to continue its 'rebalancing policy', highlighting Indonesia's economic potential and its strategic geopolitical position.

"We will have an agenda regarding connectivity, increasing connectivity, globalization of trade, working on a number of the environment and other challenges in law enforcement and maritime security," Kerry said.

Indonesia and the United States have seen positive growth in their economic relations. The value of trade between the two countries peaked at US$26.5 billion in 2011.

Two days before meeting Kerry, Natalegawa convened with Mexican Foreign Minister Jose Antonio in Mexico, which served in part to commemorate 60 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Natalegawa and Antonio agreed to prioritize economic cooperation, trade and investment. They also discussed Indonesia's and Mexico's positions in international economic cooperation groups such as the Forum of East Asia-Latin America Cooperation (FEALAC), Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and the Group of 20 (G20).

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