Envoys to attend workshop in Bali

JAKARTA: Indonesian ambassadors to ASEAN countries, Japan, South Korea, the U.S. and Australia, as well as several provincial governors, will get practical advice on how to promote trade and investment during a two-day workshop in Bedugul, Bali, this weekend.

The symposium, which is being organized jointly by the foreign ministry and the Executive Center for Global Leadership (ECGL), will present topics of interest on business management, good governance and diplomacy.

"Promoting exports and investment is one of the main tasks of our ambassadors, but this will be the first time that our diplomats will get such a briefing on how to deal with businesspeople, potential investors and buyers," ECGL chairman Tanri Abeng said on Tuesday.

Tanri said that because the symposium would also be attended by corporate chiefs, the diplomats and governors would be able to expand their networks during the two-day gathering beginning on Saturday.

"Governors should be capable of attracting investment to their provinces, as it is businesses that create jobs and consequently improve the purchasing power of the people. This forum is a good opportunity for them to learn the ropes and network with our ambassadors and business leaders," Tanri said.

Among the speakers at the briefing will be foreign minister Hassan Wirajuda, Adam Schwarz, the communications director at McKinsey & Company, Robert Kitgaard, the dean of Pardee-Rand Graduate School in California, and chief economics minister Dorodjatun Kuntjoro-Jakti. -- JP