T

he Foreign Ministry, in cooperation with Universitas Sebelas Maret in Surakarta, Central Java, hosted the second MIKTA Goes to Campus (MGTC) talk show on Tuesday.

MIKTA is an innovative partnership formed in 2013 consisting of Mexico, Indonesia, Republic of Korea, Turkey and Australia.

The ministry’s director general for multilateral cooperation, Febrian Ruddyard, in his opening remarks to participating students and academics, said the initiative aims to raise public awareness of the grouping.

The first ever MGTC was held at Universitas Indonesia (UI) in February.

The talk show aims to gather insights on ways to increase the role and relevance of MIKTA and its cooperation, the ministry said in a statement.

“MIKTA was established not to compete with existing international organizations and groupings, but to bridge the different interests between developed and developing countries,” Mexican Ambassador to Indonesia Armando Reina said in the press statement.

During the talk show, speakers emphasized the importance of enhancing MIKTA cooperation by involving non-governmental actors including academics, opinion shapers, journalists and youth.

“It is our hope that through the MGTC talk show, Universitas Sebelas Maret could further explore cooperation programs with MIKTA countries,” said Sutarno, vice rector of the Surakarta-based university.