TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Commentary: Turkey and Indonesia herald new era in partnership
After a 25-year hiatus, Turkey and Indonesia forged a strategic partnership during Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s historic visit to Turkey last week, a visit that has carried relations between the two countries far beyond where they were previously
Change Size
A
fter a 25-year hiatus, Turkey and Indonesia forged a strategic partnership during Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s historic visit to Turkey last week, a visit that has carried relations between the two countries far beyond where they were previously.
The long-standing cooperation between the two countries dates back to the early 1980s when bilateral relations were only just beginning to emerge. Current circumstances in international affairs pushed these countries to conclude one of the most successful partnership and cooperation stories in recent years.
When previously Turkey and Indonesia felt almost no loss because of the geographic distance between them, the two are now reaping the benefits from their joint effort to bring the two societies closer in peace and harmony.
Yudhoyono’s and Turkish President Abdullah Gül’s move in forming an ideal partnership for two such newly emerging global players can only be regarded as an achievement — to their credit. Although these relations are still in their formative phase, the good news is that the two countries are working tooth-and-nail to overhaul neglected areas, particularly in economic relations.
Indonesia and Turkey sealed eight agreements, which constitute what Turkish President Gül has called “evidence of important relations” between the two countries. The new demarche will certainly accord an increasingly important role to the nature and the dynamics of blossoming relations between the two Muslim nations. Iinitial omens have been good.
Tied to one another by US$1.78 billion in annual trade volume, Indonesia and Turkey have also decided to start preparations for a mutual agreement to make visa requirements history, in the hope that trade volume will reach US$5 billion over the next five years.
Despite the difficulties of being so far from each other and having been historically disconnected, Turkey and Indonesia seem more than keen to expand ties and their cooperation has run unabated so far.
Despite its command of only a small share of his country’s trade, President Gül sees Indonesia, a country with the world’s largest Muslim population, as a source of huge economic potential that could also benefit Turkey.
Agreements that Turkey and Indonesia signed during Yudhoyono’s visit were on defense, technical cooperation, small and medium enterprises, cultural exchange, maritime transportation, human resource development, support for investment and media.
To hold sway at such a high level of cooperation it is sufficient and at the same time essential for the two governments to develop a modicum of trust. Turkey’s multi-dimensional foreign policy runs the risk of straining relations with the West in a number of areas, including relations with Muslim countries. Since both countries possess common characteristics and hold identical views of many challenges they face in the international arena, they definitely need to tailor their clout and resources to an ever-shifting international balance of power.
Both Turkey and Indonesia share many similarities in their political positions, as well as economic and demographic indicators. While Indonesia is home to the world’s largest Muslim-majority population, Turkey is home to a substantial number of Muslims. Both are members of the G20 and hold similar views on international affairs. They are both among the world’s most rapidly developing economies and are also members of the Developing Eight (D8).
Turkey displayed its support for Indonesia by voting in favor of its bid to lead the Parliamentary Union of Islamic Countries (PUIC). Indonesia was a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council in 2008. The country abstained during a vote on imposing sanctions aimed at pushing Iran to relinquish its nuclear ambitions, a political stance Turkey has staunchly supported for years.
Both countries are undergoing comprehensive economic and political reforms and neither is satisfied with their current economic position. To fill this gap, the Turkish Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists (TUSKON) and the Indonesia Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) organized the Indonesian-Turkish Trade and Investment Forum on Wednesday, which was attended by more than 800 Indonesian and Turkish businessmen. The forum was heralded a success that would soon yield economic benefits.
Meanwhile, the Indonesian Batik Foundation (YBI) organized a fair in Istanbul (which concluded on Saturday) to promote Indonesia’s rich culture. The fair featured a trade exhibition, a batik fashion show and performances of Indonesian traditional music and dance.
The primary motive behind the fair was to improve cooperation between Turkey and Indonesia in the spheres of culture and tourism. The YBI representative in Turkey and the chief organizer of the fair, Ika BS Wahyudi, told me the organization had plans for more cultural projects including batik in Turkey in coming years. The recent boom in relations between Turkey and Indonesia should definitely have sufficient momentum for the two countries to continue to grow together into the future.
The writer is the foreign affairs correspondent for the Today’s Zaman daily based in Istanbul, Turkey.
