REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, BEIJING -- Indonesia has again reiterated the importance of connectivity to support economic growth not only nationally but also regionally as well as internationally.
"Connectivity is linked to many things including infrastructure for supporting economic growth as part of efforts to reduce logistic cost and boost domestic as well as international trade," Indonesia's foreign minister Retno LP Marsudi said here on Friday.
At the 26th ministerial meeting of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum Indonesia emphasized the importance of connectivity to support national, regional and international economic growth.
"We will emphasize it again after we proposed it and it was agreed to be followed up in the 2013 APEC meeting. This is indeed very important moreover now when the government has big concern over the issue and we have decided to make Indonesia a world maritime axis," she said to Antara.
She said "the most important thing is how we can build connectivity at home first before we connect us abroad by joining the 21st Century Silk Road initiated by China to build land, sea and air connectivity."
Minister Retno expressed thanks to China and APEC that have agreed with the importance of connectivity issue raised by Indonesia, which would be followed up with formulation of a connectivity blueprint.
As the host of the 2013 APEC meeting Indonesia introduced the concept of APEC Framework on Connectivity covering physical connectivity, institutional connectivity and people-to-people connectivity.
The follow up of the agreement in the meeting in Bali, Indonesia and China formulated APEC Blueprint on Connectivity Suggested General Outline and Work Plan to Develop the 2014 APEC Blueprint on Connectivity.
The cooperation involved APEC Policy Support Unit tasked with formulating APEC Blueprint on Connectivity and APEC economies are needed with regard to presenting key initiatives proposals that would contribute to improving connectivity in the Asia Pacific region.
"Regarding connectivity, Indonesia also launched APEC Public-Private Partnership Initiative in 2013 and it would be followed up this year," the minister said.
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