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ndonesia’s Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Mari Elka Pangestu visited Côte d’Ivoire on Monday to promote bilateral cooperation and to gain support for her election as the secretary general of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

During her visit in Abidjan, Mari met Ivorian Prime Minister Daniel Kablan Duncan, Minister of Trade, Craft and Promotion of SMEs, Jean-Louis Billon, and Minister of African Integration, Ally Coulibaly.

They discussed bilateral developments and exchanged views regarding the role of trade in growth and job creation, as well as the future of the multilateral trading system under the WTO.

The Côte d’Ivoire leaders and the Indonesian minister, one of the strongest candidates to replace the director general of WTO, Pascal Lamy whose term ends in Aug. 31, shared the importance of their commitment to a global rules-based trading system, which is the ultimate goal of the WTO, and the importance of increasing trade for growth, job creation and reducing poverty.

Both countries also have similar views in terms of ensuring that the needs and interests of developing countries are well represented in the organization, according to a statement issued by the Indonesian Embassy in Dakar accredited to the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire.

Côte d’Ivoire and Indonesia share similar views regarding the negotiations in agriculture.

Moreover, Côte d’Ivoire is a member of the G33 of developing countries of which Indonesia is a coordinator. The most important issue for this group is to ensure that in the agriculture negotiations there is adequate protection for food security.

Mari, who served as trade minister from October 2004 to October 2011, is convinced that a multilateral trading system is a solution to many problems worldwide. “Since its creation, the WTO has helped generate more trade, more growth, more jobs, and more opportunities in the world”, Mari said during the meeting with the Côte d’Ivoire leader.

Minister Mari is one among four ministers who are candidates for the director general of the WTO. Other than the four ministers, there are five other candidates who are in the race. If elected as the new director general, Mari would be the first woman to hold the position since the creation of the WTO.

In the last few weeks, the minister has presented her vision and mission to the WTO General Council Meeting in Geneva, as well as meeting WTO representatives. She has also visited several capital cities such as Washington DC, Beijing, Brussels, Paris, Berlin, Warsaw, Moscow and Dubai in the last few weeks.