Indonesian today rejoined the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) after being inactive since 2008.

Local Indonesian news portals quoted the Indonesian Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Sudirman Said as saying that the country was reactivating its membership in Opec.

He said Indonesia was confident that its renewed membership in OPEC would bring back benefits to the country in addition to establishing closer ties with other oil exporting countries.

“Through close links with other oil exporting nations around the world, it will enable Indonesia to exchange views and deal directly with them.

“We are now in the midst of shortlisting candidates to be appointed as the Indonesian representative in Opec,” Sudirman said.

Indonesia joined Opec in 1961 and is the only member country from South-East Asia.

Indonesia was the only Asian Opec member for nearly 50 years before leaving the group at the start of 2009 as oil prices hit a record high, and rising domestic demand and falling production turned it into a net oil importer.

Meanwhile, an Indonesian website, In Focus , today published a report saying that Indonesia produced 800,000 barrels of crude oil per day.

- Bernama