P

resident Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s trip to the Netherlands, which marks the first visit of an Indonesian leader to the country in 16 years, should be a momentous occasion to solidify the future partnership between the two countries given their extensive historical ties.

The Netherlands is Jokowi’s last stop on a five-day European tour that included visits to Germany, the UK and Belgium. During his two-day visit to the Dutch Kingdom, Jokowi will meet with the monarchy as well as business leaders.

Jokowi, on his first European tour since securing the presidency in late 2014, is scheduled for a meeting and working lunch with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and a dinner with King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands. He is accompanied by a business entourage that is expected to help seal concrete investment deals with their Dutch counterparts.

Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi, who previously served as Indonesian ambassador to the Netherlands, said this would be the first visit by an Indonesian president in 16 years. It will be the third visit by an Indonesian president, after president Soeharto’s visit in 1970 and president Abdurrahman Wahid’s visit in 2000.

In 2010, Indonesia’s sixth president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, called off a planned visit after the separatist group Republic of South Moluccas (RMS) based in the West European country called for Yudhoyono’s arrest for human rights abuses.

Historians and international relations experts said however dark the history between the two nations was, Indonesia and the Netherlands should treat the visit as a step toward moving on from the past and to take advantage of their centuries-old ties to strengthen bilateral relations.

Indonesia experienced a long colonial occupation under Dutch rule and the impact of the shared history has been immense. One of the unresolved disagreements between the two countries is how Indonesian independence is perceived in the Netherlands.

Despite the colonial ties and recent turmoil, however, experts say the past should not be an obstacle that creates distance in the relationship.

“We no longer have historical challenges that serve as stumbling blocks to further enhance our already strong relationship with the Netherlands,” Asvi Warman, a historian from the Indonesia Institute of Sciences (LIPI), said.

He even dismissed opinions saying that the Dutch should formally apologize for their colonial wrongdoings, arguing that the Netherlands were guilty of possible war crimes over their 1949 aggression, but relations between Indonesia and the Netherlands, as two independence entities, “are fine as they are”.

When asked about how the post-colonial relationship between Indonesia and the Netherlands should take shape, Asvi said that there were many things to learn from the relatively small but socially advanced country, including flood controls and maritime-related issues.

He also added that Jokowi’s visit should set the foundation for historical and cultural cooperation in the future, and for possible negotiations to repatriate Indonesian historical artifacts currently in the Netherlands.

Gadjah Mada University international relations expert Siti Mutiah Setiawati said that Indonesia had been taking the good relations with the Netherlands for granted, and had been very passive as it treats the country as a mere part of bigger multilateral platform such as the EU and G20. Jokowi’s visit is a fresh approach, Siti said, for Indonesia to strengthen bilateral relations with the nation.

Retno said the visit would be momentous for bilateral ties.

“Regardless, the relationship between Indonesia and the Netherlands is very strong and is growing even stronger each year. I can rely on statistics for that,” she said. “We have strong trade, investment and tourism relations with the Netherlands.”

Trade value between the two countries hit US$4.23 billion last year, with the Netherlands serving as the main entry point for Indonesian goods entering Europe. The country is also Indonesia’s fourth-biggest investor, after Singapore, China and Japan.

Every year, more than 1,000 Indonesian students study in the country. It is also not difficult to find Indonesian cuisine in the Netherlands and conversely, Dutch architecture and loanwords are used in Indonesia, stemming from centuries of interactions.