JAKARTA: Indonesia and Mongolia marked the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations by reaffirming the broad potential for cooperation and pledging to further strengthen their partnership.
The Indonesian Foreign Ministry said the milestone was commemorated with a high-level engagement in Jakarta on Feb. 26, co-chaired by Indonesia’s Foreign Affairs Vice-Minister, Arrmanatha C. Nasir, and his Mongolian counterpart, Amartuvshin Gombosuren.
During the meeting, both sides exchanged views on the positive trajectory of bilateral relations and discussed opportunities to expand cooperation in strategic economic sectors, defence, agriculture, education, health, people-to-people relations and tourism, as well as science and technology.
"Increased engagement between business actors is key, including through Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) between chambers of commerce as a bridge to expand trade, investment, and business partnerships,” Arrmanatha was quoted as saying in the statement on Friday.
The ministry noted that the meeting came after the Foreign Ministers of both countries signed an MoU on Political Consultation in Jakarta in May 2025, providing a foundation for a more structured and sustainable bilateral dialogue.
During the meeting, both nations highlighted Indonesia’s capacity to support human resource development through training programmes in sustainable agriculture.
Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to deepen educational cooperation through Indonesian scholarship programmes such as the Indonesian Aid Scholarship, the Indonesian Arts and Culture Scholarship capacity-building training for Mongolian diplomats and the Developing Countries Partnership programme.
Both countries also discussed global geopolitical developments and efforts to enhance collaboration in regional and multilateral forums.
"As a concrete step to strengthen foreign policy dialogue, both sides will explore establishing a Policy Planning Dialogue between their Foreign Ministries to deepen strategic coordination and exchange views on Indo-Pacific dynamics and global issues,” the ministry said.
According to the ministry, Indonesia-Mongolia relations remain positive, especially in trade, with total bilateral trade hitting US$56 million in 2025, including US$49.5 million in Indonesian exports and US$6.5 million in imports from Mongolia.
The relationship is also reinforced by South-East Asia’s sole Mongolian Cultural Centre, situated in Tanjung Lesung, Banten. - Bernama
