Kadin opens first overseas office in Melbourne

Kadin opens first overseas office in Melbourne

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) has
selected Melbourne, Australia, as a location for its first
foreign representative office and opened it on Monday.

The buoyant Australian economy and geographical proximity were
the main reasons for the selection.

"We consider Australia to be our most important partner. KADIN
is well positioned to address the needs and expectations of the
Australian business community," said Suryo B. Sulisto, who heads
Kadin's division for promotion of trade, tourism and investments,
in a press statement.

The representative office is expected to encourage, assist and
promote commerce between the two countries.

"The new Australian Representative Office represents a major
achievement in the business affairs and trading relationships of
our two countries," Kadin chairman Aburizal Bakrie, said.

The office is headed by Robert Murdoch, a bilingual
businessman with many years of experiences in Indonesia.

Murdoch said Indonesia was Australia's closest market and had
abundant resources to offer Australian businesses.

On the selection of Melbourne, Suryo said Melbourne had long
been recognized as Australia's corporate capital and it was close
to the national capital in Canberra.

In conjunction with the event, a business forum themed "Doing
Business with the New Indonesia (2004-2009)" was held with
keynote speaker Chairman of the Indonesian Investment
Coordinating Board (BKPM) Theo F. Toemion.