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Discourse: Indonesia’s foreign policy stays the same, with more activism
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President Prabowo Subianto (second right) stands with (from right to left) Timor-Leste's Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao, Brunei Darussalam's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minch Chinh, Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Myanmar's Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Aung Kyaw Moe and Laotian Prime Minister Sanexay Siphandone on May 26, 2025, during a group photo at the opening of the 46th ASEAN Summit at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center in Kuala Lumpur. (Antara/Virna Puspa Setyorini)
E
ight months into Prabowo Subianto’s presidency, analysts and observers have noted Jakarta’s increasingly active stance on the international stage, with the new leader having conducted a flurry of engagements. Yet, questions remain about Indonesia’s diplomatic strategy.
Third Deputy Foreign Minister Arif Havas Oegroseno sat with The Jakarta Post’s Tama Salim and Yvette Tanamal to discuss the state of Indonesian foreign policy, current geoeconomic interests and Indonesia’s Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) bid and BRICS membership.
Below are excerpts from the interview.
Question: There have been a lot of observations made about President Prabowo Subianto’s foreign policy style, with some describing it as personalistic, free and more active or even style-heavy. What are your comments on this, and how do these changes in diplomatic style reflect Indonesia’s vision for itself?
Answer: I think the principle remains the same, and that is the key. Indonesian foreign policy remains based on the fundamental principles of independence and activism. This means strategic independence without external influence, and activism, which means that our foreign policy is not [to be] a bystander.
Now, I think the current government and the President maintain the same principle. We have activism in different forums and events. We are actively working in OECD, for instance, and we have become a member of BRICS. We are active in organizing Indonesian positions on the issue of deforestation in Brussels.
We engage with various countries, such as the United States, while being active in regions like Southeast Asia and Europe. We also work with countries in regions that we have not had any substantial penetration, like Africa.
