By Prashanth Parameswaran
A sneak preview of what we can expect to come out of a much-anticipated trip.
From October 25 to 28, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo of Indonesia – the world’s fourth largest nation, third-largest democracy, and largest Muslim-majority country – will visit the United States for the first time since his inauguration last year. What can we expect in U.S.-Indonesia relations during his trip?
Based on conversations with sources close to preparations for the visit, The Diplomatunderstands the visit’s priorities are three-fold: strengthening the structural foundation of the existing U.S.-Indonesia comprehensive partnership; deepening defense and economic cooperation; and shaping the narrative of Indonesia in the United States.
Strengthening the Comprehensive Partnership
The first priority will be strengthening the U.S.-Indonesia comprehensive partnership, the framework that has governed the bilateral relationship since it was inked in 2010 under Jokowi’s predecessor Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. In the wake of the arrival of the Jokowi administration in Jakarta in 2014 as well as the changing regional and global environment, both sides believe there needs to be an ‘update’ of sorts to reflect these significant changes.
“We see the need to enhance and elevate the relationship,” a source involved in preparations for the visit told The Diplomat. The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because planning for the visit was still being finalized, said the object would be to fashion “the next stage” of the comprehensive partnership.
The joint statement issued by both sides will reflect a range of bilateral, regional and global priorities as is usually the case. But sources told The Diplomat that two additional items would be at play. The first would be the inclusion of a new strategic dialogue between the two countries. The structure of that strategic dialogue, The Diplomatunderstands, would be a 2+2 format, with the inclusion of a foreign minister and another minister. While the other minister in such 2+2s usually has the defense portfolio, if left unspecified this could also provide flexibility as it would allow for rotational portfolios depending on issues of significance.
The second would be the setting up of a “Track II” or non-government track in U.S.-Indonesia relations, something which Indonesian foreign minister Retno Marsudi had mentioned in her address to the U.S.-Indonesia Society back in May which I covered forThe Diplomat (See: “Indonesia Defends Its Foreign Policy Record Under Jokowi”). Here, the focus will be on broadening out the relationship of the two democracies to include greater input from the business community, civil society as well as the academic community.
Read the full story at The Diplomat