Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Alejandro Solano Ortiz recently traveled to Jakarta, the populous city in the Island of Java, for the purpose of establishing formal diplomatic relations between Costa Rica and the Republic of Indonesia. The ultimate goal of the visit is to establish an Embassy of Costa Rica in Indonesia, a powerful player in South Asia and the headquarters nation of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), an influential bloc.

As expected, the visit by Vice Minister Solano was graced by the kind hospitality that Indonesian culture is known for. Then it was on to business: According to institutional communique 4236 CR of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Vice Minister Solano met with Dian Triansyah Djani, who is Indonesia’s Vice Minister of European and Latin American Affairs, as well as with Ibnu Hadi, Director of North and Central American Affairs. Also present at this meeting were members of the Directorate of Protocol and the Consular Section of Indonesia.

The meeting was accentuated by the logistical requirements of opening the Embassy of Costa Rica in Indonesia, an idea that is being welcomed by the Asian nation. During lunch break, Vice Minister Solano was introduced to various members of the Indonesian business community, who were eager to learn about Costa Rica’s trade practices.

An important matter discussed during this diplomatic visit was Indonesia’s intent on learning about the process of marketing their natural resources for ecotourism. To this effect, Indonesia is blessed with warm weather and beautiful nature that could be protected, nurtured and marketed to eco-travelers, just as Costa Rica has been doing for many decades.

Another important aspect of the meeting was preparation for the upcoming Forum of East Asia-Latin America Cooperation (Spanish acronym, FOCALAE), in which Foreign Affairs Ministers from Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean will meet to discuss hands-on diplomacy.