In the efforts to establish sound networking and to utilize potentials of cooperation with FEALAC partner countries, the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia in cooperation with the Riau Provincial Government and the University of Riau held FEALAC Outreach Program 2009 in Pekanbaru, Riau, on 11-12 June 2009. More than 180 participants including local government officials, business actors, academicians, and delegations of 9 FEALAC member countries (China, Japan, Korea Selatan, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Chile, and Mexico) participated in the program.

Acting Director General for American and European Affairs conveyed a keynote address regarding the background and purpose of the FEALAC Outreach Program and active roles of Indonesia in FEALAC. As the Asian Co-chair of Working Group I (Politics, Culture, and Education), Indonesia carried out the Outreach Program in order to disseminate FEALAC to the society as well as to bring together local government, business actors, academicians, and representatives of FEALAC partner countries so as to discuss potentials of cooperation in various fields.

The Riau Provincial Secretary, representing the Governor of Riau, expressed the message that the Riau Provincial Government supports the Outreach Program as it serves as a means to promote the potentials of Riau Province among FEALAC partner countries. He then explained that Riau has an average growth rate of above 8% per year in the last few years, and possessed significant amount of tourism potentials.

The Outreach Program invited 3 speakers, namely Arsyad Yuliandi Rachman from the Riau Chamber of Commerce, Bernadus Djonoputro from the Riau Investment and Promotion Board, and Umy Oktyari from the University of Riau. Representatives of FEALAC partner countries also got the chance to deliver presentations regarding the potentials of their respective countries, and viable forms of cooperation to be carried out with the Riau Provincial Government.

In general, the program was successful in increasing the public awareness on FEALAC and on the benefits which can be obtained by local stakeholders as well as FEALAC partner countries. A significant result of the program is the establishment of a closer relationship between FEALAC partner countries with Riau Provincial Government which is in fact useful to trigger the enhancement of cooperation in various fields, namely trade, investment, and tourism. Through this program, the University of Riau obtained benefits in forms of scholarship offers and support from FEALAC partner countries to develop their study centres.

Pekanbaru, 11 June 2009

Director for American-European Intra Regional Cooperation