Indonesia and Argentina explored opportunities for cooperation in information and communication technology (ICT) ahead of the G20 Digital Economy Ministers' Meeting (DEMM) in Badung, Bali, on Wednesday.
The exploration of cooperation was marked by a bilateral meeting between Indonesia's Communication and Information Minister, Johnny G. Plate, and Argentina's Secretary of State for Public Innovation, Micaela Sánchez Malcolm.
"With this cooperation, Indonesia has the potential to connect East Asia, South Asia, Europe, to the Middle East, China, Japan, Hong Kong, as well as California," Plate informed in a statement released here on Wednesday.
The DEMM is a part of the Sherpa Track of G20 Indonesia's forum, and has been organized to follow up on the negotiation result of the Digital Economic Working Group (DEWG). The DEMM will be held in Bali on September 1 and 2, 2022.
According to Plate, ICT cooperation between Indonesia and Argentina can be carried out in the upstream sector in the form of distributing broadband to connect the South American region to the Asian region through Australia.
Related news: Indonesia woos electric vehicle, ICT investors at WEF
Regarding opportunities for digital collaboration in the downstream sector, he explained that it can be done by building digital economy literacy and conducting training by utilizing various digital spaces owned by the two countries.
To that end, Indonesia and Argentina have agreed to form a team to prepare for the continuation of the cooperation exploration plan, which includes a cooperation framework, legal foundation, agreements, and a draft memorandum, he said.
Responding to this, Malcolm said her side is optimistic that the exploration of cooperation between the two countries will widen the telecommunications connectivity network in Argentina.
"We are optimistic that through this collaboration, telecommunications connectivity, especially in remote areas, will be well connected," she added.
Malcolm also expressed the hope that cooperation between the two countries would soon be realized, considering the importance of telecommunications networks of great quality for meeting increasing community needs in the digital era.
Related news: G20 members' digital ministers to attend DEMM in September
