Indonesia and the UAE have always maintained cordial relations since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1976. Both share the same values as Muslim-majority nations, says Husin Bagis, the Indonesian Ambassador to the UAE.
“The UAE was proclaimed on December 2, 1971. The government of the Republic of Indonesia recognised the young UAE and started diplomatic relations in 1976,” he says.
“In 1977, Suharto, President of Indonesia, visited the UAE and met the UAE President Shaikh Zayed to discuss bilateral relations. The visit marked a new chapter in the development of diplomatic cooperation between the two countries.
“In 1978, the Indonesian Embassy in Abu Dhabi was officially opened and in 1989, both the governments signed the agreement for establishing air services between and beyond their respective territories. This has been effective since 1993.”
Shaikh Zayed returned the visit in May 1990 and met President Suharto. One year after the visit, the UAE Embassy was officially opened in Jakarta.
Indonesia opened its Consulate General in Dubai in February 2003, followed by the opening of the Indonesian Trade Promotion Centre (ITPC) and the Indonesian Investment Promotion Centre (IIPC) in Abu Dhabi.
Since the visit of Shaikh Zayed until now, both the countries have strengthened bilateral cooperation by signing eight agreements in various areas, including taxation, air transport and energy cooperation.
“WAM, the official news agency of the UAE, and Antara, Indonesian National Media, signed a Memorandum of Understanding on media cooperaton in 2005,” the ambassador says.
“Joko Widodo, President of the Republic of Indonesia, visited the UAE in 2015 and was welcomed by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.
Reciprocal support
“In international cooperation, Indonesia and the UAE provide reciprocal support for their respective candidatures in international organisations. The UAE’s support has recently helped Indonesia get elected along with Germany, Belgium, South Africa and the Dominican Republic to the Non-Permanent Members of the United Nations Security Council for 2019-2020.
The government of the UAE had also given its support for Indonesia’s candidature to the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.” Indonesia and the UAE enjoy a robust trade and investment relationship.
In 2017, bilateral trade reached $3.7 billion (Dh13.6 billion). “Recently, Indonesia’s National Standardisation Agency (BSN) and National Accreditation Committee (KAN) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology (ESMA) to develop technical cooperation in the field of halal accreditation in line with the rules and regulations applicable in the two countries as well as at the World Trade Organisation,” says the ambassador.
The MoU will increase the volume of trade between the two countries, which is expected to reach $5.5 billion this year.
“In the investment sector, Indonesian power company PT Pembangkitan Jawa-Bali (PT PJB), a subsidiary of the state-owned utility company, PLN, and the UAE’s Masdar signed an agreement in 2017 to develop the world’s largest floating solar project with a capacity of 200MW in Cirata, Indonesia.
“PT PJB and Masdar will work together to develop the project that covers an area of 225 hectares with investment value estimated to reach $300 million.”
Cultural cooperation
“Since 1994, Indonesian students have been receiving scholarship to study in Al Ma’had Al Islami School in Al Ain,” says the ambassador. “Every year Indonesian students also receive scholarship from various universities across the UAE to obtain master and doctoral degrees.”
Meanwhile in sport, since 1994, the UAE government through the Abu Dhabi Cultural Foundation has invited chess players from Indonesia to participate in the annual chess championship in Abu Dhabi.
“This year, the Indonesian national ju-jitsu players were invited to participate in the Abu Dhabi World Professional Ju-jitsu Championship in April.
“On the cultural front, the Indonesian Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Consulate General in Dubai support and participate in cultural programmes held to celebrate the UAE National Day.
“This year, we are working together with the Louvre Museum. Court dances of the Royal Palace of Yogyakarta were performed twice at the museum in February.”
High-level officials from both the countries have also participated in various international conferences related to interfaith dialogue held either in the UAE or Indonesia. The Indonesian Minister of Religious Affairs attended the fourth annual forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies under the theme Global Peace and the Fear of Islam, held in Abu Dhabi last December.
“The UAE, through Awqaf, brought 13 Indonesian youth to be assigned as imams at mosques at six different emirates across the UAE last year,” he says.
“The number of Indonesian imams in the UAE is expected to double after Awqaf conducted selection in Indonesia in January this year.
“Indonesia is greatly honoured to host the 18th edition of the Asian Games, the biggest multi-sport games after the Olympic Games, to be held in Jakarta-Palembang from August 18 to September 2. The UAE National Olympic Committee has confirmed a delegation of 217 members for its participation in the event.”
This year, Indonesia will also host the 3rd Asian Para Games, taking place in Jakarta from October 6-13. About 3,000 athletes from 43 countries are expected to take part in the 15 Paralympic and three non-Paralympic sports.
Indonesia and UAE leaders share the same vision to promote social and cultural cooperation based on respect for traditional values and local culture. “To strengthen the bonds between the two nations, Indonesia and the UAE governments are looking at areas for social and cultural cooperation,” says Bagis.
