BOGOR/ISTANBUL

Turkiye and Indonesia signed on Wednesday 13 joint agreements in a range of areas including trade, defense and media on Wednesday.  

Following a meeting of the High Level Strategic Cooperation Council and a joint press conference by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Indonesian counterpart Prabowo Subianto in Bogor, a signing ceremony was held. 

“As manifestation of the strategic partnership between the two countries, the two leaders co-chaired the first High Level Strategic Cooperation Council, formed in 2022, to provide guidance on the goals and implementation of their strategic partnership in priority sectors including political, trade and investment, infrastructure, defense and security, socio-cultural and consular spheres as well as cooperation within the regional and global fora of common interests,” according to a joint statement released by Türkiye's Communications Directorate.   

Enhancing economic, trade and defense cooperation 

The statement said both leaders reaffirmed their decision to reach the bilateral trade volume target of $10 billion. 

The target, it said, could be achieved by developing preferential trade scheme between the two countries, i.e. a limited preferential trade deal at first stage by 2026 and the Türkiye- Indonesia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) at a later stage. 

Erdogan and Subianto expressed support for Türkiye’s construction companies participating in Indonesia’s national strategic infrastructure projects, including the development of 3 million homes and the construction of the new capital city Nusantara. 

They also encouraged collaboration between state-owned enterprises and the private sectors of both countries on energy development projects in Indonesia, Türkiye, and third countries.

Recognizing the significance of the Joint Commission for Economic and Technical Cooperation (JEC), the leaders agreed to leverage this mechanism, led by the designated ministers of both nations, to facilitate greater private sector involvement in bilateral trade and economic initiatives, thereby accelerating bilateral trade relations.  

Investing in people, education, and health 

Recognizing deep cultural, historical, religious, and people-to-people ties between Türkiye and Indonesia, the leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cultural cooperation, emphasizing its role in fostering mutual understanding and long-term collaboration. They highlighted people-to-people connections as a key pillar of future bilateral relations, with cultural, academic, and social exchanges serving as a foundation for deeper engagement. 

To prepare the youth – leaders of the future – the two countries said they are willing to expand academic and educational partnerships, including scholarships, joint research programs, and university-to-university collaborations, according to the communique. 

Particular focus will be given to science, technology, engineering, and medicine disciplines. Reciprocal youth center visits, study visits, youth and expert exchange programs will also be organized to strengthen cooperation, according to the joint statement. 

Erdogan and Subianto also emphasized the importance of strengthening the resilience of global health architecture to ensure the preparedness of the international community for future pandemics. 

Establishing institutional framework 

The first strategic cooperation council marked a milestone in Indonesia-Türkiye relations, laying the groundwork for a comprehensive roadmap to deepen bilateral ties in the coming decades. Both leaders expressed optimism about achieving the shared vision of “Partnership for the People; For the New World,” the readout said. 

Both leaders agreed to establish regular 2+2 meetings between the foreign and defense ministers to discuss and monitor the implementation of strategic defense cooperation in 2025. 

The presidents decided to convene the second High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council in 2027 in Türkiye.    

Cooperation agreements

To achieve these goals, a myriad of documents were signed: 

Turkish Trade Minister Omer Bolat and his Indonesian counterpart Budi Santoso signed a memorandum on enhancing cooperation in trade between the two ministries.

Haluk Gorgun, the head of Türkiye's Defense Industries Secretariat, and Sjafrie Shamsuddin, Indonesia's defense minister, signed a defense industry cooperation agreement between the two departments.

Turkish defense company BAYKAR's General Manager Haluk Bayraktar and Republikorp founder Norman Joesoef signed a joint production agreement for the export of Bayraktar TB3 and Bayraktar AKINCI drones.

A memorandum of understanding on energy and natural resources was signed by Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar and Indonesian Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia.

A letter of intent on promotion and facilitation of investments between the two governments was signed by Mehmet Fatih Kacir, Türkiye's industry and technology minister, and Rosan Perkasa Roeslani, Indonesia's investment and raw material processing minister.

Kacir and Indonesian Industry Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita also signed a memorandum of understanding on the establishment of a joint committee on industrial cooperation between the ministries of the two countries.

An MoU on agricultural cooperation was signed by Turkish Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli and Indonesian Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and his Indonesian counterpart Sugiono signed an agreement on cooperation in health and medical sciences between Türkiye and Indonesia.

A memorandum of understanding on cooperation in higher education between the Council of Higher Education of Türkiye and the Higher Education, Science and Technology Ministry of Indonesia was inked by President of the Council of Higher Education Prof. Erol Ozvar and Indonesian Higher Education, Science and Technology Minister Satryo Soemantri Brodjonegoro.

Head of Türkiye's Presidency of Religious Affairs Ali Erbas and Indonesian Religious Affairs Minister Nasaruddin Umar signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in religious services and religious education between the Presidency of Religious Affairs and the Religious Affairs Ministry of Indonesia.

A cooperation agreement between Anadolu and Indonesian news agency ANTARA was also signed by Serdar Karagoz, president and CEO of the Turkish news agency, and Akhmad Munir, the president of ANTARA.

A memorandum of understanding on radio between the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) and the Public Service Broadcasting Radio of the Republic of Indonesia (LPP RRI) was signed by TRT Director General Mehmet Zahid Sobaci and LPP RRI Chairman I Hendrasmo.

Sobaci and Iman Brotoseno, chairman of the board of directors of the Indonesian Public Television Network (TVRI), also signed a cooperation protocol between TRT and TVRI.