UPDATE - Indonesian leader signals stronger cooperation with Türkiye

UPDATES WITH REMARKS BY INDONESIAN PRESIDENT; EDITS THROUGHOUT

By Asiye Latife Yilmaz

ISTANBUL (AA) - Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto expressed his intention to further strengthen ties with Türkiye in a joint news conference Wednesday with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is paying an official visit to the Southeast Asian country.

Meeting at the Bogor Presidential Palace in West Java, Prabowo and Erdogan announced their intent to strengthen bilateral ties through trade and cooperation across many sectors.

"We are determined to strengthen the partnership between Indonesia and Türkiye," said Prabowo, highlighting the importance of collaboration.

He stated: "This year marks the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Indonesia and Türkiye."

Prabowo emphasized the mutual goal of strengthening defense industry ties, and noted: "We desire to further support defense industry cooperation efforts between Indonesia, Türkiye."

In 2022, Türkiye and Indonesia signed five agreements covering defense, technology, forestry, environment, and development, while also establishing the High-Level Cooperation Council. This year, President Erdogan attended the council's first meeting.

“We have already established strong cooperation with several leading Turkish defense firms, including Roketsan, Aselsan, Havelsan, and Baykar. We are keen to participate more seriously in ongoing programs with Türkiye.” said Prabowo.

In 2015, Indonesia's military products manufacturer PT Pindad and Turkish armored vehicle producer FNSS company agreed to jointly produce medium tank prototypes, while the two countries also collaborated on the procurement of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

A year ago, Indonesian state-owned Pertamina Geothermal Energy and Turkish geothermal energy company Kipas Holding signed an agreement to collaborate on geothermal energy production.

Prabowo also marked 2050 as a significant milestone, saying: "2050 is important turning point in preparing for the centenary of the Indonesia-Türkiye partnership."

Prabowo stressed the goal of expanding the bilateral trade, and said: "We aspire to see greater trade between Indonesia and Türkiye, and I am confident that it will grow in the near future. We will continue working towards a more balanced, mutually beneficial, and mutually reinforcing trade relationship between our two countries.”

In 2023, Türkiye's exports to Indonesia reached $410 million, while imports in 2022 totaled $2.7 billion, with Indonesia having a trade surplus of $1.47 billion with Türkiye in 2023. Currently, 19 Indonesian companies operate in Türkiye, and 80 Turkish companies are active in Indonesia, according to figures provided by the Turkish Foreign Ministry.

Türkiye was one of the first nations to recognize Indonesia’s independence. Diplomatic relations were established in 1950, and the Turkish Embassy in Jakarta opened in 1957.