ndonesia and Slovakia have pledged to strengthen bilateral relations, with both sides signaling interest in expanding cooperation across strategic sectors, encouraging people-to-people exchanges and laying the groundwork for a possible future strategic partnership.
Juraj Blanar, Slovakia’s Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, made an official visit to Indonesia from Sunday to Wednesday, marking the first visit by a Slovak foreign minister in 16 years.
Blanar began his visit in Bali, where he on Monday inaugurated Slovakia’s Honorary Consulate at the Jimbaran Hub community center in Badung regency, near Denpasar. He then traveled to Jakarta for a bilateral meeting with Foreign Minister Sugiono on Tuesday.
Following the meeting, both ministers underscored their commitment to intensifying cooperation in a wide range of fields, including energy, health, defense, food security, infrastructure, education and people-to-people exchanges.
Sugiono said Indonesia welcomed discussions on elevating bilateral ties. “I welcome the proposal to increase this relationship into a strategic partnership between Indonesia and Slovakia,” he said at a joint press conference.
Minister Sugiono also urged progress on the ratification of the defense cooperation agreement signed by the two countries in 2023, which is currently under review at the House of Representatives. He stressed that defense ties should go beyond formal programs to include technology transfer, joint research and training.
Sugiono thanked Slovakia for its support for Indonesia’s bid to join the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and for backing the Indonesia-European Union Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IEU-CEPA). He also invited Slovak businesses to explore investment opportunities in Indonesia, including partnerships with Danantara on projects of shared interest.
