President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, after scoring key commitments during his recent overseas trip, appears to be seeking to expand the country’s role in international affairs as it prepares to assume leadership positions in strategic multilateral forums in the coming years.

In December, Indonesia will begin its year-long presidency of the Group of 20, during which it will host 150 meetings throughout the country, ending with an international summit in Bali next year. The country is also making preparations to serve as chair of ASEAN in 2023.

The President has long been criticized for delegating most diplomatic work to his ministers and focusing predominantly on domestic issues, but his attendance at a recent string of high-profile global events has contradicted that impression.

“There was something that I felt was different from previous summits. There were so many requests for bilateral meetings from other countries who were present,” Jokowi said in a speech on Thursday. “I was approached by leaders, both when I was standing and when I was sitting, and they were from big countries.”

On the sidelines of the G20 summit and the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), Jokowi met with leaders from the United States, Australia, France, Turkey, India and the United Kingdom, among other countries. 

He said Indonesia had the opportunity to use its strategic position as G20 president, as well as ASEAN chair the following year, to advance its national interests.

"Indonesia is a big country with a big history, and we really want to use this once again to influence world policies in any way," he added, lamenting that despite its stature, the country was underestimated by its own people.

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