Remark of Retno L.P Marsudi, Director General for American and European Affairs
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia

Since its establishment in 1999, The Forum for East Asia-Latin America Cooperation, or FEALAC, has become an important tool in bridging partnership between countries in East Asia and Latin America. As the only inter-governmental forum that connects countries of both regions, FEALAC consists of 33 member countries from 15 East Asian Countries and 18 Latin American Countries.

As one of the founder of FEALAC, Indonesia perceives its cooperation under the FEALAC mechanism as crucially important in building stronger ties between East Asian and Latin American countries. Since FEALAC was established in 1999, Latin America has emerged as one of the increasingly significant economic partners of Indonesia. The trade volume between Indonesia and Latin America has steadily grown in the last three years. The total trade value in 2005 stood at US$ 2.3 billion, it rose in 2006 to US$ 2.8 billion and US$ 3.3 billion in 2007.  By 2008, the trade value was significantly increased to US$ 4.8 billion. Although at the following year in 2009, the number was slightly reduced to US$ 4.3 billion. However, it should also be noted that the figures shown are much less then the yet-optimized economic potentials of the two regions. Thus, there are still plenty of rooms for improvement in the cooperation between East Asia and Latin America that can be generated.

As the FEALAC Working Group on Politics, Culture and Education Co-Chair (2007-2009), the Republic of Indonesia attaches great importance to the promotion of an enhanced cooperation between the regions, particularly in the working group itself. One of the event that Indonesia had promoted was the 1st Seminar on Counter Terrorism in Semarang, December 2007. Right now, Indonesia had elected as the Regional Coordinator East Asia FEALAC for 2010-2012 along with Argentine as the Regional Coordinator Latin America FEALAC.

This FEALAC webportal was launched by Indonesian Government in order to promote as well as to disseminate the cooperations created in FEALAC corridor to all societies of FEALAC member countries, particularly to Indonesian people. In the end, the webportal hopefully could boost the strengthening cooperations between East Asia and Latin America.

Retno L.P. Marsudi
Director General for American and European Affairs
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia