Thursday, May 15, 2008 Talks start to intensify trade links between Sulawesi, S. Mindanao By Carlo P. Mallo
ANOTHER round of exploratory talks to intensify cooperation among key trade and tourism industry players from Northern Sulawesi and the cities of Davao and General Santos in Southern Mindanao have started early this week with the arrival of 16 delegates in Davao City.
Indonesian Consul General Lalu Malik Partawana told reporters Wednesday that this is just only the start of exploratory talks between Northern Sulawesi and Southern Mindanao, which are also under the sub-regional group of the Brunei-Indonesia-Philippines-Malaysia East Asean Growth Area (Bimp-Eaga).
"We want to have more talks between the two areas in the future and more cooperation between the two," Partawana said.
The consul general also stressed the importance of the cooperation among the three areas -- Northern Sulawesi, Davao and Gensan -- due to their close proximity with each other and the numerous commonalities shared.
"We are almost like the same. We are like long lost cousins," Partawana said, adding that by helping each other, these areas will benefit more from each other.
"We will not be competing with each other, but rather complimenting each other," he said.
Among the issues to be discussed are the feasibility of a bilateral cooperation on the development and production of agricultural products, especially coconuts and palm oil.
But another concern that will be discussed is the problem on the entry of illegal fishers on the common sea border shared by the Philippines and Indonesia.
Shelley Sondakh, executive secretary of the Bimp-Eaga Secretariat, headed the Indonesian delegation, while Angel Puentespina, president of the Davao Association of Travel Agencies, headed the Philippine delegation.
