JAKARTA, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Indonesian government will support the issue of Geographical Indication (GI) extension submitted by the European countries as an effort to establish a protection system under the World Trade Organization (WTO)'s Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights, said an official here on Thursday.

    "It will be one of the issues which will be discussed during the WTO meeting in Geneva on Dec. 17. And Indonesia will support the issue," said Gusmardi Bustami, the Indonesian Trade Ministry's Director General for International Trade Cooperation.

    A GI is a name or sign used on certain products which corresponds to a specific geographical location or origin, such as a town, region, or country. The use of a GI may act as a certification that the product possesses certain qualities, or enjoys a certain reputation, due to its geographical origin.

    "For example, wine and cheese are two products which have been popular in European countries, but Latin American countries also produced similar products with the same names," said Gusmardi, adding that with the implementation of GI policy, the quality, reputation or other characteristics of the products from European countries will be guaranteed.

    According to Gusmardi, Indonesian export commodities are competitive on the global markets. Indonesia expects that the GI system to be discussed will be helpful to bolster up the country's economy. "Indonesia is not the only country in Asia, but also India and Thailand, will support the GI implementation," he said.