The thousands of miles separating Indonesia and Slovakia should not be a barrier for the two countries to strengthen their bilateral relationship as the two sides are confident about enhancing cooperation.

As Slovakia celebrated its 25th Constitutional Day in Jakarta on Monday, Slovak Ambassador to Indonesia Michal Slivovic said that the ties between the countries were already in a good condition and that he was certain economic cooperation would increase going forward.

“We have been working together in agriculture, and we look forward to strengthening cooperation in other areas,” he said in his opening speech.

Official diplomatic relations between the two countries date back to January 1993, not long after Slovakia gained sovereignty.

“We will commemorate [25 years of] diplomatic relations in January 2018, and I would like to thank Indonesia for its hospitality,” he continued.

According to Trade Ministry data, two-way trade between Indonesia and Slovakia hit a new high of US$82.7 million in 2016, a significant jump from $57.6 million in the preceding year.

The same data show that with exports worth $64.9 million versus imports from Slovakia worth $17.8 million, Indonesia enjoyed a bilateral trade surplus. Between 2010 and 2015, at least 13 investment projects from Slovakia were made in Indonesia with a total value of $200,000.

A one-on-one meeting between Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi and Slovak Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak during the ASEAN-EU ministerial meeting in Bangkok last year also suggested that ties between the two countries are in a good shape. During the meeting, the ministers agreed that it was important for issues discussed in regional groups to consider the needs of the people.

Indonesia’s main export goods to Slovakia are palm oil products, rubber and electrical appliances. The geographic distance between the two countries and non-tariff barriers are still considered the main challenges to increased trade.

Every year on Sept. 1, Slovakia commemorates the adoption of its constitution by the Slovak Parliament in 1992. The historic day marks the start of Slovakia as a sovereign and democratic country as well as the separation with the Czech Republic from what was formerly Czechoslovakia.

Czechoslovakia is reportedly the only former socialist state to experience an entirely non-violent breakup, having seen only massive but peaceful demonstrations on the street from the opposing sides.

In Slovakia, Constitution Day is a public holiday, and in many parts of the country it’s marked by cultural events, including folk dances and traditional singing.

At Monday’s event, Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises Minister Anak Agung Gede Ngurah Puspayoga said that over the past 24 years, Indonesia and Slovakia had enjoyed beneficial cooperation not only in their economic relationship, but also in the political realm.

Investment, he said, had been established in agriculture, infrastructure, water management, defense, culture and tourism. However, he emphasized that there was still room for growth in bilateral trade.

“In addition to that, cooperation will also be extended to other areas, including education,” he said.

Puspayoga said that to boost cooperation in education, Indonesia had recently given scholarships to Slovak students.

“I am sure alumni of the scholarship program will contribute to stronger ties between Indonesia and Slovakia,” he said.

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