The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) remains a relevant forum for Indonesia to take economic advantages from regional cooperation and to strengthen its role in regional interactions, Indonesian officials said here Tuesday.

"I'm a true believer of APEC. We need to develop and empower APEC for our own interests in the region," Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu said in a seminar here.

APEC is a very important forum to help Indonesia with trade facilities and capacity building of government officials despite its slow works in liberalizing regional trade, she said.

"APEC is a non-negotiating forum, making it very difficult to achieve trade liberalization," Mari said.

On the same occasion, Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda said APEC economies are the important trade partners of Indonesia.

He noted that APEC members accounted for 61 percent of Indonesia's total export and 63 percent of import.

Around 50 percent of foreign direct investment in the country came from APEC economies, he added.

Source: Xinhua