Beginning this year, the Netherlands has stopped providing development aid to a number of countries, including Indonesia. But the Dutch have promised to replace the arrangement with a new cooperation initiative intended to bring the partners into a different, more equal phase of relations. The new relationship will be top of mind as the Dutch king begins his state visit to Indonesia.

Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi confirmed this on Monday, saying that the two sides had been engaged in numerous cooperation initiatives and that it was “not merely Indonesia asking for something from the Netherlands”.

“They acknowledge the efforts we have been making so far, [...] so we have to place ourselves in the shoes of a mutual collaborator and no longer a recipient of assistance,” Retno told reporters after a meeting with her Dutch counterpart, Stef Blok, in Jakarta.

In a recent interview with The Jakarta Post in The Hague, Foreign Minister Blok expressed optimism about the new chapter of bilateral relations, saying that the end of aid did not mean that the two countries would cooperate less.

Indonesia and the Netherlands, he said, would continue to work together in important areas where they faced the same challenges, including coastal protection, water and waste treatment and maintaining strong people-to-people bonds.

During the bilateral meeting in Jakarta, Retno and Blok raised a number of bilateral issues and inked an agreement on diplomatic training cooperation, in addition to discussing preparations for Dutch King Willem-Alexander’s four-day state visit beginning on Tuesday.

The ministers also signed a letter of intent to cooperate on the topic of women in peace and security in the future.

Through the signing of the agreement, Indonesia has started a new chapter of cooperation that supports initiatives the Netherlands has been upholding for many years, such as human rights, through demonstrating Jakarta’s commitment to providing equality for women and being more involved in peacekeeping.

King Willem-Alexander’s visit to Indonesia marks the first time in 25 years a reigning Dutch monarch has visited the country. The last time was in 1995, when Queen Beatrix — the current king’s mother — visited Indonesia and acknowledged the “painful” past of Dutch colonial rule, although she stopped short of a formal apology.

With the two nations’ complicated shared history, analysts have said the state visit provides Indonesia the opportunity to chart a new path forward, toward a relationship of equals. It also allows The Hague to project a new image of itself as a true partner rather than a former colonial master.

Teuku Rezasyah, an international relations expert at Padjadjaran University, said the new deal and the visit formed a perfect opportunity for Jakarta to strike a bargain.

"President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo aims to realize his Nawacita [vision] – including integrating resources and access between land and sea. It's time for us to learn from the Dutch experience and solve our current problems," he told the Post on Monday.

Rezasyah suggested that the Netherlands should share all relevant historical data on Indonesia that it possesses with the Indonesian people.

"Indonesia must be assertive and the Netherlands must be willing to share relevant data so we can solve our current problems by reaching back into that past," he said.

"The vision of Jokowi's administration is very much in line with the principles that the Netherlands offers. Indonesia should play its cards right and show the Dutch that we are changing, that we are capable of standing on par with them."

The Dutch king begins his official visit in Jakarta on Tuesday, with a stop at Bogor Palace in West Java, in between. During the visit, he will also go to Yogyakarta, Palangkaraya and Lake Toba in North Sumatra. (tjs)

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