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Paraguay chooses Indonesia for SE Asian mission
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Paraguay Ambassador Cesar Esteban Grillon poses with President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo during Christmas celebrations in Papua in December 2015. (Courtesy of Paraguay embassy/-)
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araguay has decided to open an office for its first diplomatic mission in Southeast Asia, choosing Indonesia over Malaysia or Singapore based on economic potential.
Paraguay's Ambassador to Southeast Asia Cesar Esteban Grillon said he chose Jakarta even after the Malaysian government proposed opening a diplomatic representative office in Paraguay in exchange for a Paraguayan diplomatic mission in Kuala Lumpur.
"Indonesia is the strongest economy in Southeast Asia and Jakarta has lower operational costs compared to other options. Indonesia needs soybean for tempeh and tofu; we are the fourth biggest producer of soybean," he told The Jakarta Post on Thursday in Jakarta.
Grillon was previously a consul general in Miami. In 2000 he was assigned to survey potential countries in Southeast Asia for a diplomatic mission. Then, in October 2010, he began his duty as the first ambassador from his country to serve in Southeast Asia.
He added that Paraguay’s products had strong potential to enter the Indonesian market as one of its major industries was cattle, with three times more cows than humans in the country. (ags)
