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Opinion

Bolstering Nepal-Indonesia ties

Indonesia and Nepal mark 62nd anniversary of their bilateral relations this Christmas
Hadza Min Fadhli Robby

Hadza Min Fadhli Robby

 |  Jakarta

This Christmas, Indonesia and Nepal celebrate the 62nd anniversary of their bilateral relations. Indonesia and Nepal forged their friendship during the heydays of the Cold War, but nothing truly significant has been achieved through bilateral relations. Aside from the involvement of both countries in the Non-Aligned Movement and the 1955 Asian-African Conference, the interaction between Indonesia and Nepal is liminal in many aspects.

This article argues that there is much prospect for both countries if both nations build their relations based on common values and consider each other as equal and reliable partners.

Historical context 
Geographically and historically speaking, Indonesia and Nepal are nations trapped between large states and difficult political contestation between hegemons. Looking at this situation, Indonesia and Nepal had decided their own way of determining their unique position in global politics. While Indonesia considers itself a nation which is trying to “row between two large reefs”, Nepal sees itself as a “yam between two boulders”, as Prithvi Narayan Shah, the first Shah King of Nepal said in his memoir. Thus, it became clear that both nations are trying to protect their independence and sovereignty by not actively partaking in the contestation between great powers. This “non-alignment” positioning doesn’t mean that both nations were trying to distance themselves from their responsibilities. In fact, both Indonesia and Nepal clearly stipulated that their nation would be taking up a significant role to protect and sustain the global order. Indonesia had stated in its constitution’s preamble that this nation would be active in “duly preserving the world peace based on freedom, eternal peace and social justice”. In the words of King Tribhuvan, “all nations, big and small, must draw close and contribute to the welfare of humanity as a whole.” Since the beginning, Indonesia and Nepal have made non-alignment their common denominator.

The commitment of both nations to non-alignment manifested clearly in the 1955 Asian-African Conference that was held in Bandung. This year, according to Bhimnath Baral, is significant to Nepal since the 1955 Bandung Declaration helped Nepal become more confident in declaring itself as a nation which stands for the “middle path” by implementing Panchasheel. As Nepal admitted itself to the United Nations five years after Indonesia’s admission, Nepal continued to pursue its national interest on the basis of ensuring the welfare of its citizen and citizens of the small states. In 1960, both Indonesia and Nepal finally agreed to formalize their bilateral relations by opening diplomatic missions in both Jakarta and Kathmandu. But in 1965, the Indonesian government decided to close its embassy in Kathmandu due to austerity measures and attached the diplomatic engagement in Nepal to its embassy in Dhaka. During the presidency of Suharto, Indonesian-Nepali bilateral engagements were largely limited to serving diplomatic formalities. As far as the author explored, there were no significant achievements or agreements being reached between the two countries from the 1960s up to the late 1990s.

Contemporary development and future course in bilateral relations
The bilateral engagement between Indonesia and Nepal started to warm up after the presidency of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in 2004. President Yudhoyono is also known as Indonesia’s “Foreign Policy President” for his active engagement in the global forum. Throughout his presidency, he kickstarted various foreign policy initiatives that not only advanced Indonesia’s national interest but also served the interests of developing countries. On the 50th anniversary of the Asian-African Conference in 2005, Yudhoyono asked the member states of the Asian-African Conference to renew its commitment to Afro-Asian solidarity by establishing a new cooperation framework that would enhance the cooperation between countries in the Global South. This new cooperation framework is known as New Asian-African Strategic Partnership (NAASP).

Through this NAASP, many bilateral relations between countries in the Global South have improved once again. This included the bilateral relations between Indonesia and Nepal, which were experiencing significant improvement in their engagement. In 2011, it is noted that the trade balance between Indonesia and Nepal had risen significantly from USD 35 million to USD 113 million. The reason behind this increase is the renewed commitment to bilateral relations shown through the appointment of an Indonesian honorary consul in Kathmandu. Besides economic concerns, both countries are trying to increase their engagement in many other sectors. In the aspect of strategic and defense cooperation, Indonesia and Nepal jointly participated in peacekeeping missions in the United Nations. This constant interaction has resulted in capacity-building efforts conducted by Nepali Armed Forces in Indonesia. Nepali Army had even acquired CN-235, an Indonesian-made military purpose aircraft to be used in future defense operations by the Nepali government. Amidst changing dynamics in the Indo-Pacific region, both defense forces from Indonesia and Nepal should collaborate further in order to increase each other’s capacity and to better contribute to the UN’s peacekeeping operations.

Other avenues that have not been explored by both governments are the socio-cultural cooperation and cooperation between small, micro, and medium economic enterprises. As Indonesia and Nepal proudly showcase their Hindu heritage, both countries could maximize interaction by conducting joint research and intercultural-interfaith collaboration that would increase people-to-people interaction. One of the examples of this engagement is the meeting between the Head of Indonesian Hindu Prajaniti and Nepali Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli during the Global Hindu Though Leader’s Meet event in 2019. Lastly, Indonesia might be a model for the development of small, micro and medium economic enterprises in Nepal. In 2022, the Credit Bureau of Indonesia shared its experience of upscaling small businesses in Indonesia with its Nepali counterparts represented by the National Bank Institute Nepal.

To sum up, both countries have already shared similar concerns and common grounds to pave the way for a better bilateral relationship between two brotherly nations. In this challenging time, Indonesia and Nepal should find newfound confidence to face together the fast-paced political change in the region of Indo-Pacific.

(Assistant Professor, Department of International Relations, Universitas Islam Indonesia, Yogyakarta, Visiting Fellow, NIICE Kathmandu)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



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