JAKARTA: Saudi Arabia and Indonesia can tap into the historic momentum of their ties and develop a strategic partnership, the Kingdom’s envoy told Arab News, as he highlighted the unlimited potential of the two G20 nations.  

The two countries have enjoyed a strong people-to-people bond even before establishing diplomatic relations, as Saudi Arabia is the birthplace of Islam and Indonesia home to the world’s largest Muslim population.

Both countries are major global economies, with Saudi Arabia being the largest one in the Middle East and Indonesia in Southeast Asia.

Relations between the two reached new heights with the visit of King Salman in 2017 and a reciprocal trip by President Joko Widodo in 2019. Last year, when Indonesia held the presidency of the G20 largest economies, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visited the Southeast Asian nation to attend the bloc’s leadership summit.

The top-level exchanges have been a “big sign” that both countries are interested in enhancing their partnership, Saudi Ambassador to Indonesia Faisal Abdullah Amodi said in an interview with Arab News in Jakarta.

“Both countries — Saudi Arabia and Indonesia — have unlimited potential,” Amodi told Arab News during an interview at the Saudi Embassy in Jakarta

“We have already a solid brotherhood; our relation is historical. But we need to elevate it and promote it, enhancing our relations in all sectors. There have to be more and more positive efforts to reach a strategic level of bilateral relations.”

Amodi, who presented his credentials to the Indonesian president in February, saw an enabling factor for boosting bilateral ties in the “harmony” between the ongoing efforts in both countries to implement their strategic frameworks — the Saudi Vision 2030 transformation plan and the Indonesian Vision 2045 to become one of the world’s top five economies.

“I believe this period is a historical period for both countries to enhance relations, especially with regard to the economy and investment,” the ambassador said.

While traditionally bilateral ties have focused on Hajj and Umrah as Indonesia, a country of 270 million people, each year sends to the Kingdom the largest contingents of pilgrims, recently there have also been talks to explore untapped potentials also in commerce and tourism.

Amodi said that Umrah and Hajj remained “very important for our relations,” but there were many other avenues that could further strengthen ties.

Efforts are already underway, as earlier this year, Indonesian Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan led a special delegation to Riyadh to unlock opportunities in import and export, while Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno offered new plans to encourage more travelers from the Kingdom to visit and for Indonesians to enter the Saudi market with creative economy products.

“At the Saudi Embassy here, we are working already to coordinate and arrange a meeting between both sides,” Amodi said.
“We have unlimited potential in investment, trade, tourism, and the creative economy.”