VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Board of Inter Parliamentarian Cooperation (BKSAP) of the House of Representatives -DPR visited Mexico on 14th up to 20th April 2018. Members of the board met leaders of Mexican Parliament and Mexican Business Committee. The meeting is aimed at fostering Inter Parliamentarian Cooperation and bilateral relations related to analyzing fields of cooperation which need special attention. After visiting Mexico, Vice Chairman of the board, Juliari Batubara to media at Media Center of DPR in Jakarta on Thursday (26/04) said that the trade value of two countries must be increased because Indonesia and Mexico have big economic market and potential.

“So far, the bilateral cooperation has been focusing on business to business, such as Indonesian export of Crude Palm Oil   -CPO to Mexico. In fact, Indonesia has exported aircraft made by PT Dirgantara Indonesia to Mexico. 80 percent of the two countries’ trade value reaches $1,517 billion dollars and Indonesia is surplus. But, Indonesia has little import from Mexico. I think, the trade value of two countries must be increased in the future because it has big potential. We are G20 member countries, and have a lot of population, and Mexico has a strategic position, exactly at the gateway of the USA and Canada. I think Indonesia can explore Mexico as the entrance to the USA to increase Indonesian export which can be said to be a little and finds new export markets,” said Juliari Batubara.

Juliari Batubara who led the visit of the board to Mexico further explained that the parliament of the two countries agreed to boost cooperation in the field of trade and increase people-to-people contact. One of them is by providing 30-day free visa for Mexican citizens. He also remarked that Mexico is interested in expanding Islamic legal beef trade and cow livestock of Mexico to Indonesian market. (VOI/AF/RHM)