Certainly Australia is supporting President Yudhoyono and Indonesia`s priorities for this year."Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Australia supports all of Indonesia`s priorities in the upcoming 2013 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting, which will be held in October, under the "Resilient Asia-Pacific, Engine of Global Growth" theme.
Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Greg Moriarty in an interview with Antara earlier this week said that Australia certainly supports Indonesia`s goal working towards a free and open trade and investment regime in APEC region.
"Indonesia has had a very strong success in the recent years in lifting millions of people out of poverty through the growing economy and the capacity to generate meaningful job productivity in the economy greater prosperity," Moriarty said.
The 2013 APEC meeting is considered to be a very busy agenda and the Australian envoy said that he is sure that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono will be able to bring it to a very fruitful conclusion.
"Certainly Australia is supporting President Yudhoyono and Indonesia`s priorities for this year," he added.
Indonesia, according to Moriarty, has identified three priorities under the theme which the Indonesian government has picked on which is the resilient Asia Pacific engine of global growth.
"I think that in many ways is a very nice summary in capitulation what President Yudhoyono wants to see the Asia Pacific region has on what he sees as the role of what APEC can contribute to them," Moriarty said.
Based on his statement that Indonesia has identified the first goal for have been working toward to attaining the Bogor goal of free and open trade and investment in APEC region.
"We really strongly supporting all those agenda because the Australian government`s view is that the opening of trade and investment in the region will generate prosperity and will generate stability and it will help lift millions of people out of poverty," he said.
Indonesia has had a very strong success in the recent years in lifting millions of people out of poverty through the growing economy and the capacity to generate meaningful job productivity in the economy greater prosperity.
"So we certainly support Indonesia`s goal working towards a free and open trade and investment regime in APEC region," he added.
The Australian government, According to Moriarty want to concentrate on Indonesia`s trade priority, despite there are range of other important issues.
Australian also hopes to work with Indonesia to advance its Bogor goals and other priorities of achieving sustainable growth with equity and promoting connectivity, Moriarty added.
"For example, in promoting connectivity which a very important priority to Indonesia we`re focusing as well with Indonesia on the infrastructure development and investment and reducing barriers to mobility for students in education providers and developing APEC framework on connectivity," he said.
The priorities ties in neatly with the ASEAN connectivity agenda and also what`s being talked about in the East Asia summit.
"So we think that Indonesia`s APEC priority this year are also very aligned with what Australia wants to do and what we think the region wants to achieve in the years ahead," Moriarty said.
Besides being keen to promote Indonesia`s trade priorities, Australia also has strong believe to see improvement in trade, services and build stronger and more integrated financial market in the region.
Because Australia believes that modern economies are very dependent on services as driver of the economic activity growth and job creation.
Moriarty said that APEC is a classic example of where Indonesia and Australia work very constructively not only on bilateral agenda but regionally and globally to promote common objective.
"We work well in the United Nations and East Asia summit, and I think we are in a good shape and building a good foundation for a strong strategic partnership," he said.
Previously, both leaders of the two countries have said that the trade and economic relationship is underdone and there is more scope to build trade and investment relationship.
Currently, a two way trade between the Australia and Indonesia was valued at almost 15 billion Australian Dollars in 2011 which was up 15 percent from 2010, "But we think that there are a lot of scope to build that relationship," he added.
Indonesia is Australia`s 12th largest trading partner and given out the proximity and given the complementarity between the two countries` economies that there is a lot of scope to built this investment and trade relationship.
Australia and Indonesia has a really long history of working together in APEC to promote economic growth and greater prosperity for people in the entire Asia and the Pacific region and of course Indonesia is an example of one of the region's great successors in its economic growth and increasing economic strength.
"For us the opportunity to work with Indonesia during Indonesia`s APEC year is a really important, because Indonesia plays a really important role in helping to built the institutions of the region and we see that in ASEAN and East Asia summit, where Indonesia has been centrally involved in building the APEC agenda over those years," he said.
Australia also describes the current time as the Asian century, and it is an opportunity to built institutions to benefit all of the region to build habits of cooperation inclusive regional institutions that Indonesia brings a lot to that and Indonesia brings on display this year when Indonesia hosts the 2013 APEC meeting.
(T.A050/F001)
Reporter: Ageng Wibowo
Editor: Priyambodo RH
Copyright © ANTARA 2013
