SPAIN MAKES RELATIONS WITH INDONESIA PRIORITY IN ASIA

London, Nov. 3 (ANTARA) - Spain, which will become the president of European Union from January 1 to June 30, 2010, has made its bilateral relations with Indonesia priority in Asia.

Therefore, Indonesia has been included in the Plan of Action for Asia and The Pacific (PoA) 2009-2012, it was revealed in a bilateral consultation meeting between Indonesia and Spain, which was held in Madrid recently.

The meeting was attended among others by Ambassador Retno L.P. Marsudi, the Indonesian foreign affairs ministry's director general for America and Europe, and Ambassador Jose Eugenio Salarich, the Spanish foreign ministry's director general for Asia and the Pacific, according to Allen Simarmata, an Indonesian diplomat at the Indonesian embassy in Madrid.

The consultation meeting discussed efforts to foster cooperation in security, education and culture.

The two-way trade value reached a total of US$2 billion, with Indonesia's exports to Spain was recorded at US$1.4 billion and Spain's exports to Indonesia US$600 million in 2008.

Spain was interested in establishing cooperation in the field of renewable energy, fishery, education and infrastructure.

The meeting also discussed cooperation in the field of visa exemption for diplomatic and service passport holders.