RI to open diplomatic channels with 21 countries in 2011

Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa says Indonesia will open new diplomatic channels with 21 countries this year, all of which are members of the United Nations.

The minister said this would mean that by the end of 2011, Indonesia would have diplomatic channels with nearly all 192 member states of the UN.

"Surely Indonesia has earlier established tight cooperation with those countries, especially within multilateral frameworks," Marty said at a press conference in Jakarta on Friday, as quoted by Antara.

"With the opening of diplomatic channels with the 21 UN states, Indonesia will formally have diplomatic channels with all 192 member states of the UN except Israel."

Marty stopped short of naming the 21 countries, but added that strengthening and deepening bilateral ties with other countries was among Indonesia's foreign policy priorities for the year 2011.

He added that in 2010, the Foreign Ministry opened nine new embassies in Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Equador, Kazakhstan, Croatia, Oman, Panama, Mozambique; a consulate in Tawau and Malaysia; and Indonesia's representative office for the ASEAN in Jakarta.

Indonesia now has a total of 130 representative offices overseas, Marty said.