MIKTA, a consultative informal forum that brings together the countries of Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea, Turkey and Australia, has started to attract attention of the international community, despite still being in the early stages of development as an international platform. According to diplomatic sources, representatives of various countries, such as Canada, Argentina, Romania and several others, have officially and unofficially asked MIKTA if they could become members of the forum. However, sources indicated that MIKTA does not have any intention of expanding its partnership.Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop confirmed that MIKTA has become the subject of curiosity in the international arena, and she underlined that expansion is not a matter of discussion at the moment. Regarding the future of the organization, Foreign Minister Bishop said that they would like to keep it as a flexible and informal forum and underlined that they are not seeking to replicate other institutionalized alliances. "All of us are very keen to not be bogged down in bureaucracy and over institutionalize the partnership. We don't want to set up and establish bureaucracy. The strength and the beauty of the MIKTA is its informality and its flexibility," she told Daily Sabah on the sidelines of the MIKTA outreach event in Canberra, Australia on Wednesday.

The MIKTA platform was launched at an inaugural meeting of the foreign ministers of the five nations in September 2013 on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly. This September the MIKTA platform will be celebrating its second anniversary, however, the foreign ministers of MIKTA countries have already had their fifth MIKTA Foreign Ministers Meeting. Furthermore inter-parliamentary cooperation will also start between MIKTA countries with the visit of parliament speakers in Seoul next week under South Korea's leadership.

Australia will be taking over MIKTA's hosting duties from South Korea this September and Australian officers are apparently looking forward to it. Foreign Minister Bishop said that finding practical ways to increase the cooperation between MIKTA countries will be their main priority. "During Australia's guidance our priorities will be to find practical ways to enhance the partnership and address the common issues of the group, which have been prioritized in the joint communiqués. One of my priorities will be development systems and aid area, and I think this is something we can do and share with each other," she said.

"As MIKTA continues to strengthen, I expect we will find many more opportunities to cooperate, many more opportunities to have our voice heard jointly on issues of concern. Speaking alone, our voices will rarely be as strong as when we speak together. Together, our diversity creates a unique voice that can and will be a powerful advocate for global peace and prosperity," she further added.