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Targeting the Latin American Market, Indonesia is committed to Becoming an Associate Country of the Pacific Alliance

Indonesia is committed to continuing to improve its economic relations with countries in Latin America. The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs held an online meeting "Limited Discussion on Improving Indonesia's Status to be an Associate Member in the Pacific Alliance" to map strategic steps for Indonesia in relation to the Pacific Alliance (20/10). The main agenda for this meeting is a plan to improve Indonesia's membership status from an observer country to an associate country. The Pacific Alliance is a regional organization for Latin America, which consists of Chile, Colombia, Peru and Mexico. Director General of America and Europe at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ngurah Swajaya in his remarks said that Latin America is a potential region to expand market access for Indonesian products and to raise Indonesian support in international organizations. One of the efforts to maximize the potential in the region is through improvement of Indonesia's membership status in the Pacific Alliance.

Since 2015, Indonesia has become an observer country on the regional organization. The importance of upgrading the status of an observer country to be an associated country is closely related to expanding market access and penetration of potential Latin American markets. This is also a strategy to encourage the negotiation of the Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) that is currently ongoing with Peru and Colombia, as well as to get the opportunity for a similar agreement with Mexico.

Participants of the discussion came from representatives of the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Trade, the Ministry of Finance, and the Investment Coordinating Board. Indonesian Ambassadors in Pacific Alliance member countries also attended the event.