Türkiye, Indonesia aim to boost strategic partnership

The Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA) think-tank hosted the Türkiye-Indonesia Partnership Forum on Wednesday in the Turkish capital Ankara, where participants discussed bilateral relations and regional issues.

Organized to mark the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Türkiye and Indonesia, the forum featured two sessions attended by diplomats, academics and bureaucrats from both countries.

In his opening remarks, Turkish Deputy Trade Minister Mustafa Tuzcu said the partnership forum would serve as "a new milestone" in the growing relations between the two countries.

Despite "profound changes" in the global economy, Tuzcu underlined that Türkiye and Indonesia, which are both members of the G20, have demonstrated strong resilience and managed to sustain their growth rates.

He emphasized that Indonesia, the largest economy in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), is advancing toward becoming a regional hub and is increasingly integrating into global value chains.

Indonesia's Consul General in Istanbul, Darianto Harsono, emphasized the growing importance of green energy, digital transformation and automation by 2050, highlighting defense cooperation as a key area in Türkiye-Indonesia ties.

He noted that the partnership continues to strengthen, combining Indonesia's resource wealth with Türkiye's technological capacity, and underscored the two nations' shared responsibility as Global South leaders to advance inclusive innovation.

- 'Our goal is for Indonesia to become an even stronger dialogue partner for Türkiye'

The afternoon session, titled "Bilateral and Sectoral Relations," brought together Korkut Gungen, Acting Director General for Bilateral Political Affairs at the Turkish Foreign Ministry; Dinna Prapto Raharja, Executive Director of Synergy Policies; and Prof. Anak Agung Banyu Perwita from the Indonesian Defense University.

In his remarks, Gungen described Türkiye and Indonesia as "two friendly strategic partners" cooperating on multilateral platforms such as the G20 and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

Highlighting the significance of recent visits, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's trip to Jakarta in February and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto's visit to Ankara in April, he said "Indonesia lies at the heart of sea routes. Our goal is for Indonesia to become an even stronger dialogue partner for Türkiye."

He noted that bilateral relations continue to deepen across various fields, including the economy and defense, recalling that Türkiye participated in Indonesia's defense fair this year with 25 companies.

"Although geographically distant, our values are shared, and our histories are built on the same ideas and ideals. Mutual trust and friendship go far beyond diplomacy," Gungen added.

Raharja noted that she conducted field observations at the local level, saying that although Türkiye and Indonesia are geographically different, "our peoples are open-minded, cooperative and strong in communication."

Perwita said that Türkiye and Indonesia could develop new high-level diplomatic mechanisms, adding that military modernization has become inevitable in bilateral relations.