The Indonesia-South Pacific Forum (ISPF) held a business event themed "Connecting Peoples for Sustainable Growth" in Jakarta to strengthen Indonesia and the South Pacific countries' relations.

As revealed in a written statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that ANTARA received here on Monday, the business forum was a part of a series of events in the Indonesia-South Pacific Forum (ISPF).

Business representatives from Indonesia and 13 countries in the South Pacific attended the event  as active participants.

Although still non-traditional partners, some Indonesian companies have already entered the South Pacific region. Two of them are Audie Pacific Engineering with Yadua bay Resort and Treetop Villa Resort in Fiji, as well as Bariki Football Stadium in Kiribati.

There is also a potential cooperation that allows Indonesian pharmaceutical company, Dexa Medica, to export pharmaceutical products to South Pacific countries.

At the business forum, Indonesian companies were invited to present their profiles, and some companies stated their interest to invest in and to cooperate with the South Pacific countries.

A discussion conducted during the ISPF business forum revealed the challenges that need to be addressed by Indonesia and the South Pacific countries to strengthen business relations, including low connectivity, high delivery fees, high import charges, and complicated procedures to get visas for foreign employees.

However, despite the challenges, the Indonesian government believes that the potential economic cooperation with the South Pacific countries is worth exploring.(ant)