REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Indonesia will use its trilateral cooperation with Australia and Timor Leste to boost economic development in the eastern region.

Indonesia, Australia and Timor Lester will be used as building blocks to improve economic growth and the welfare of the people in the region, the foreign affairs ministry said in a written statement received here on Sunday.

Indonesia will take a number of priority programs which are concrete and practical for the purpose including connectivity development efforts such as the planned opening of the Kupang-Dili-Darwin flight service, it said.

Other programs include establishing regional maritime tourism branding, strengthening industrial cooperation in agriculture and animal husbandry and opening seasonal job opportunities for semi-skilled workers from Indonesia in Australia and Timor Leste.

This is the conclusion taken from the "Socialization of Indonesia, Australia, Timor Leste Trilateral Cooperation" forum held by the foreign ministry in cooperation wth the office of the coordinating minister for economic affairs on Friday (October 2).

The event was part of the Indonesian government efforts to increase the trilateral cooperation and synergy between national stakeholders.

It emphasized the importance of the cooperation to strengthen the structure and mechanism of the institution and the foundation to create a road map of growth in the region.

The discussion was attended by assistant to the deputy for Asia economic cooperation, officials from the office of the coordinating minister for economic affairs, the Indonesian ambassador to Timor Leste, district heads of Manggarai in the East Nusa Tenggara province, the rector of Nusa Cendana University in Kupang, researchers from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), businessmen and academicians.

The initiative for Indonesia, Australia and Timor Leste cooperation was a mandate from the meeting of the three leaders of the countries in the Trilateral Summit in Bali in November 2012 as efforts to increase development in the region.

The cooperation has also involved academicians. The results of Australia's Charles Darwin University study in September 2015 has emphasized the importance of concrete cooperation in priority sectors such as animal husbandry, meat production, tourism, seasonal workers, education and connectivity.

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