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Oil-rich Kazakhstan cozying up to rising Indonesia
Erlan A
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Erlan A. Idrissov. Courtesy of Kazakhstan Embassy
Over the last 23 years, the performance of oil-rich Kazakhstan, the largest economy in Central Asia, has been very impressive. Its per capita gross domestic product (GDP) has increased from US$700 in 1991 ' the year it gained independence ' to $14,000 today. Relations between Indonesia and Kazakhstan have also been growing at a rapid rate. To gain more insight into these fast growing ties, The Jakarta Post's Veeramalla Anjaiah, who visited Astana recently, interviewed Kazakhstan Foreign Minister Erlan A. Idrissov. The following are excerpts from the interview.
Question: Geographically, Kazakhstan and Indonesia may be distant countries but the two countries have been close friends for more than two decades. We have a new government in Indonesia under the leadership of President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo. How does Kazakhstan view the future of working with the Jokowi administration?
Answer: Kazakhstan and Indonesia are, indeed, far apart geographically but not in terms of our ties. Over the past two decades, we have established and developed warm, fruitful relations based on the principles of friendship, trust and mutual benefits.
There is no doubt that presidents Nursultan Nazarbayev and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono played a very important role in building this close relationship. We are confident that this progress will continue under President Jokowi. The new President is deservedly popular for his bold, energetic leadership style and his strong sense of integrity and vision.
We look forward to working hand-in-hand with the new President and his government in driving forward progress on all agreements already in place and in developing new directions for our cooperation.
What is the present status of bilateral relations between Kazakhstan and Indonesia?
As I have already said, relations between our two countries are warm and close ' and are rapidly and successfully developing in many spheres. Importantly, we share similar views on most of the important issues on the global agenda, such as sustainable economic development, security and interfaith dialogue. The result is that Kazakhstan and Indonesia support each other in the UN, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and other international bodies.
So right across the board, it is pleasing to see how the ties between our two countries are growing stronger. A clear sign of the warmth between our two countries can be seen in my recent visit to Indonesia to attend the 6th UN Global Forum on Alliances of Civilizations last August.
Given such warm relations and similar priorities in ensuring security and stability at the regional and global level, we hope Indonesia will support Kazakhstan's candidature for a non-permanent seat in the UN Security Council for 2017-2018. We also hope Indonesian representatives will participate at the fifth Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions to be held in June 2015 in Astana.
Indonesia considers Kazakhstan its 'gateway' to Central Asia. How does Indonesia figure in your country's foreign policy?
It has a very important place as a close and reliable friend in a very important region. Our new foreign policy concept for 2014-2020, adopted in January, clearly calls for the further strengthening of relations between our two countries. We consider Indonesia a leading country in the Southeast Asian region and far beyond with a voice that is increasingly influential on the global stage.
As I have already said, we have much in common. We have similar aims regarding our countries' development and enhancing competitiveness of our economies. Both countries are contributing a great deal to strengthening regional and global security and stability. It is why we put such importance on enhancing our already strong bilateral relations.
How do you see the future of bilateral relations in the next 10 years?
I hope they will help both countries achieve our wider ambitions domestically and internationally.
What's important is the strong political will on both sides to maximize this potential, which we believe will only become stronger thanks to the new leadership of Indonesia.
So we are very optimistic regarding the future of our bilateral relations. By strengthening our economic ties, we will further promote our shared priorities such as sustainable development and ensuring security in our regions as well as the prosperity of our nations.
