"We had managed market access for Indonesian products, but it was problematic. Now, we have a management that becomes a model for other countries, one of which is certification and legality of timber and wooden products. Indonesia is a model for timber certification," the Director General of America and Europe regions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Muhammad Anshor, said here on Tuesday.
Speaking at a public lecture themed "Indonesian Diplomacy in the Americas and the European Union Regions at Langlangbuana University (Unla) Bandung, West Java, Anshor pointed out that the success of Indonesian timber exports to the EU market is an example of turning out the challenges into opportunities, especially related to diplomatic relations with the European Union.
Anshor noted that the cooperation between Indonesia and American and European countries is closely related to economic diplomacy.
According to him, certification is the key to the success of timber exports to the European market, as the European Union applies very high standards.
Timber and oil palm products are two important Indonesian trade products to the European market.
At present, Indonesia has FLEGT (Forest Law Enforcement and Trade) and is the only country with this license.
Having the license shows that Indonesian wooden products have high quality, are produced according to regulations, and are free from illegal logging.
Anshor revealed that Indonesia was also active in fighting negative campaigns against palm oil. The negative campaign occurs because of protectionism, which is applied by the European Union to secure its local products.
According to him, Indonesia should be creative in managing diplomacy as international relations are very dynamic.
"Building and maintaining relations among countries also need creativity," Anshor explained.
Currently, there are 83 Indonesian economic partners in American and European regions. Of these, 82 countries have diplomatic relations with Indonesia.
Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia in the American and European regions include 41 Indonesian Embassies, 11 Indonesian Consulate Generals, 11 Indonesian Trade Promotion Centers (ITPC), and 2 Indonesian Investment Promotion Centers (IIPC).
Meanwhile, there are some strategic partners of Indonesia in the United States and Europe, namely the Netherlands, Brazil, France, Russia, and Turkey.
In front of more than 400 students and academics at Langlangbuana University, Anshor invited students to actively practice diplomacy and become part of the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs family.
Reporting by Ajat Sudrajat, Libertina W Ambari
Editing by Andi Andussalam
Reporter: Antara
Editor: Yosep Hariyadi
Copyright © ANTARA 2018
