The Indonesian government is not just enlightened in its efforts to promote a peaceful end to the conflict. It is pragmatic, recognizing that the war is contributing toward a slowdown in the Indonesian economy, especially through the disruption of global supply chains. Food and fertilizer supplies have been particularly hard-hit. President Widodo appreciates that the longer the conflict drags on, the worse its effects not just on developing economies but on the global economy as a whole.
Indonesia offers many opportunities for investment and renewed bilateral trade with Ukraine
Radityo Dharmaputra, a lecturer in the international relations department of Airlangga University in Indonesia, said that this is the moment to take a diplomatic lead in line with the UN vote.
“Indonesia should be organizing a joint position, together with the other, so-called middle powers and remaining members of the G20 like Mexico and Brazil, offering up a peace platform, asking Russia to stop the aggression and organizing peace talks once Russia stops,” he said. “This is the task of the middle powers now, and Indonesia can be one of the initiators.”
Bilateral opportunities: Trade between Indonesia and Ukraine totaled $1.24 billion before Russia invaded Ukraine. It’s fallen by 93% since then.
Meanwhile, Indonesia and Ukraine continue to strengthen bilateral relations. In February, a civil society delegation from Kyiv visited Jakarta as part of efforts to promote enhanced trade and economic partnership and an end to the conflict. A senior representative from the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry identified the agriculture, energy, information technology, food processing, and pharmaceutical sectors as ripe for new partnerships and investment given the complementary nature of Ukraine and Indonesia’s economies.
But grasping these opportunities will only be possible once Ukraine has regained control over its sovereign territory. As it stands, bilateral trade between Ukraine and Indonesia, which totaled $1.24 billion before the Russian invasion, has slumped by 93% since the war.
The Ukrainian delegation to Jakarta also highlighted Russia’s systematic persecution of the 1 million Ukrainian Muslims, and particularly the Crimean Tatars, the indigenous Muslim population of Ukraine, who once made up 95% of Crimea’s population. Today the Tatars comprise only 13% of Crimea’s population, after hundreds of years of persecution by Russia, including since the annexation of Crimea in 2014.
