Indonesia's Withdrawal from G-20 Must Evaluate Its Coop Scheme

Jakarta, Nov 19 (Antara) - Before withdrawing from the G20`s fisheries forum, Indonesia must take into consideration the G20`s cooperation scheme as there are some binding and non-binding agreements, stated the Ministry of Foreign Affairs` (MOFA) Spokesperson Michael Tene. Tene made the remark during a press conference at the MOFA`s office here on Wednesday, in connection with the statement issued by Maritime and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti who plans to withdraw Indonesia`s participation in the G20`s fisheries forum if their regulation is unfavorable for Indonesian products. According to Minister Pudjiastuti, some of the unfavorable regulations are the various import tariffs imposed on Indonesia`s export commodities, such as tuna and shrimp, which reached 10 percent. "In general, it (the withdrawal) largely depends on its cooperation`s form, as each multilateral cooperation, such as APEC, ASEAN and G20, has some binding and non-binding agreements," he noted. Tene explained that the APEC`s agreement was formulated into norms and recommendations, and its implementation depends on each member and in the ASEAN, which has some binding agreements that need ratification and non-binding agreements, such as a declaration or call. "At present, I do not have information about the fisheries cooperation scheme in the G20, and so I cannot specifically answer whether such a scheme is available or not. So far, I know about the G20`s concerns about the financial sector and the global economy`s growth. But, I will try to find the related information later," he remarked. However, Tene emphasized that Indonesia`s participation in the G20 and other international forums was based on catering to the domestic interests. "So, if a forum does not give us any benefits, of course, we will not participate in it," he stated.