Palace Ensures Indonesian Membership At BRICS Will Not Disrupt Relations With US

JAKARTA The Presidential Special Envoy for International Trade and Multilateral Cooperation, Mari Elka Pangestu, emphasized that Indonesia's full membership in the BRICS alliance should not be worried that it will affect bilateral relations with the United States, even though the country is currently led by Donald Trump.

According to Mari Elka, Indonesia, which adheres to active free foreign politics, has the flexibility to cooperate with various parties without being attached to a particular multilateral forum.

"There is no need to worry because we, in other words, are free to be active. We can cooperate with various parties without disturbing the interests of the US," said Mari Elka when met at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta, Tuesday night.

He assessed that Indonesia's membership in BRICS actually strengthens its position as a bridge between developing and developed countries. In addition, Indonesia is also in the process of accessing it to become a member of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), where the United States is one of its founding members.

"Our full membership in BRICS is a weighter, considering that BRICS is a developing country forum while OECD represents a developed country," he explained.

Responding to questions related to de-dollarization adopted by BRICS member countries in trading transactions, Mari Elka said that diversifying the use of currencies had indeed become a trend in international finance.

For example, Indonesia has implemented a direct payment system using local currencies, such as rupiah to yuan, in trading transactions with China.

"The use of other currencies besides the dollar is a natural development in international finance. However, on the other hand, the US dollar remains dominant both for trade transactions and as assets," he said.

Earlier, on Monday, Brazil, which holds the presidency of BRICS this year, announced that Indonesia has officially become a full member of the alliance consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. The Brazilian government also congratulated Indonesia as the latest member of BRICS.

This membership is expected to strengthen Indonesia's position in global multilateral cooperation, both between developing and developed countries.