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The Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA) hosted the Türkiye-Indonesia Partnership Forum on Wednesday in the Turkish capital, bringing together diplomats, academics and officials to discuss bilateral relations and regional cooperation.
Organized to mark the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Türkiye and Indonesia, the forum featured two sessions focusing on political, economic, and defense collaboration.
In his opening remarks, Turkish Deputy Trade Minister Mustafa Tuzcu described the event as “a new milestone” in the growing partnership between the two G20 members.
Despite “profound changes” in the global economy, Tuzcu said both nations have shown resilience and maintained steady growth.
He noted that Indonesia, the largest economy in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), is rapidly emerging as a regional hub and integrating further into global value chains.
Indonesia’s Consul General in Istanbul, Darianto Harsono, stressed the increasing importance of green energy, digital transformation, and automation by 2050, while highlighting defense cooperation as a key pillar in Türkiye-Indonesia relations.
Harsono said the partnership continues to strengthen by combining Indonesia’s natural resources with Türkiye’s technological capabilities and underscored the two countries’ shared role as Global South leaders committed to promoting inclusive innovation.
The second session, titled “Bilateral and Sectoral Relations,” included Korkut Gungen, Acting Director General for Bilateral Political Affairs at the Turkish Foreign Ministry; Dinna Prapto Raharja, Executive Director of Synergy Policies; and Prof. Anak Agung Banyu Perwita of the Indonesian Defense University.
Gungen described Türkiye and Indonesia as “two friendly strategic partners” collaborating on multilateral platforms such as the G20 and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
He pointed to the growing momentum in bilateral ties following Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Jakarta in February and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s visit to Ankara in April.
“Indonesia lies at the heart of sea routes. Our goal is for Indonesia to become an even stronger dialogue partner for Türkiye,” he said.
Gungen added that cooperation continues to expand in the economy and defense sectors, noting Türkiye’s participation in Indonesia’s defense fair this year with 25 companies.
“Although geographically distant, our values are shared, and our histories are built on the same ideas and ideals. Mutual trust and friendship go far beyond diplomacy,” he said.
Raharja shared insights from her field research, emphasizing that while Türkiye and Indonesia differ geographically, “our peoples are open-minded, cooperative, and strong in communication.”
Perwita suggested that the two countries could establish new high-level diplomatic mechanisms, noting that military modernization has become “an inevitable part” of bilateral relations.
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