July 31, 2024
JAKARTA – Defense Minister and president-elect Prabowo Subianto is continuing his European tour, with trips to Serbia and Turkey following his visit to France.
Observers view Prabowo’s itinerary as an attempt to reassert Indonesia’s free and active foreign policy, with Jakarta continuing to align itself with developing countries across the globe.
During his five-day trip to France, Prabowo met with French President Emmanuel Macron and a group of the country’s business executives. He then embarked on Monday for Belgrade to meet with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić.
In the Serbian capital, Prabowo and Vučić talked about strengthening their political and economic dialogue.
“We have agreed to continuously strengthen the diplomatic relationship in a way that benefits both countries,” Prabowo wrote on his official X account on Tuesday.
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After congratulating Prabowo on his victory in the February presidential election, Vučić said that the former Army general’s visit had given a significant incentive for both countries to elevate their close relationship.
The Serbian president conveyed an interest in strengthening political dialogue with Indonesia, as well as cooperation in defense, economics and other mutually beneficial sectors, according to a statement issued by the Defense Ministry on Tuesday
Serbia, widely considered an important partner for Indonesia in the region, has had a long diplomatic rapport with Indonesia since the late 1950s. The two countries were among the founders of the Cold War-era Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). Jakarta also supported Belgrade’s position when Kosovo declared independence in 2008.
“I conveyed my deepest gratitude to Indonesia for its principled and consistent support toward sovereignty and the territorial integrity of Serbia, which has been reflected in its support at international forums,” Vučić said after his meeting with Prabowo.
Concluding his day trip in Serbia, Prabowo then began the next leg of his tour with a two-hour flight to Ankara.
After landing in the Turkish capital, the defense minister went to meet with Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in the latter’s official residence on Monday evening local time. They discussed various regional and global issues, as well as bilateral relations between the two countries.
On Tuesday, Prabowo met with Turkish Defense Minister Yaᶊar Güler and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, during which he was welcomed with military ceremonies in both places, according to a statement issued by the Turkish Presidential Office.
A statement issued by the Defense Ministry on Tuesday described Prabowo’s visit as a significant moment for the two countries to “elevate their defense cooperation and other strategic fields for mutual benefit”.
In August of last year, Indonesia purchased a dozen military drones from Turkish Aerospace in a shopping spree worth US$300 million, which included training programs for pilots and flight simulators.
Leading free and active
With only around three months left before being officially inaugurated as president, observers suggest that Prabowo’s European tour is strategically timed to signal that his incoming administration will uphold Indonesia’s free and active foreign policy, despite his military career having brought him closer to the West in recent years.
Despite all three countries technically being part of Europe, analysts also pointed out that each of the nations had very different political leanings. France is fully signed up to the ideals of the European Union, while Serbia is seen as drifting increasingly toward authoritarianism, and Turkey’s steadfast support for the Palestinian cause has placed it at odds with the United States.
“Indonesia proclaims itself as a middle power. I think that the choice of these three countries is a signal that his foreign policy will focus on non-major powers, including developing nations,” said Dafri Agussalim, an international relations expert from Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta, on Tuesday.
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“It is a manifestation of his free and active politics,” he continued. “It could even be his signal to the West, particularly the United States, that his military background will not necessarily make him Western-oriented.”
Questions have arisen about the direction of Prabowo’s foreign policy. Since being declared the election winner by the General Elections Commission (KPU) in April, the president-elect has made several overseas trips, including to China, Japan and Jordan, where he went on behalf of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo on a diplomacy blitz on Gaza.
Noting Prabowo’s previous visit to China, Dafri added that monitoring his foreign movements over the next few months would be key to understanding better his prospective diplomatic orientation.