Today, on the same Friday 62 years ago, the Indonesian people proclaimed their independence as a free, united, and sovereign nation. This spirit of freedom had been voiced by many national movements since the early 20th century.

Through determination and perseverance, their struggles culminated in the declaration of independence on August 17, 1945. During those difficult days in the early days of our Independence, the Arab League countries including Saudi Arabia gave their full support by recognizing the Indonesian Independence especially on the forum of the United Nations.

This support reflects the long standing relationship between Indonesia and this region that dates back as far as to the time Arab traders sailed to the east. Through this trader route, Islam, the religion of peace and mercy appealed to the hearts and minds of the people across the archipelago. Its influence contributed deeply into the diversity of Indonesian culture and language.

But formally, the diplomatic relations between Indonesia and Saudi Arabia established in 1950 after the opening of the Indonesian legation in Jeddah. In the early 70’s, the two countries realized that their relationship needed to be expanded in a more concrete way in the field of politic, economy, and social sphere.

Hence, the bilateral relation then entered into a new phase, when King Faisal bin Abdulaziz visited Indonesia in June 1970. To follow up this visit on the same year in Jeddah, Ambassador Aminuddin Aziz and the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Omar Sakkaf signed a Friendship Agreement.

This agreement then became the basic instrument to enhance further cooperation between the two countries. For instance, in strengthening the economic relations, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia signed the Economic and Technical Agreement in 1981. In pursuance to this agreement, since 1982 both countries and their delegations have been meeting within the framework of a Joint Commission. Formerly, this joint commission was limited to discuss bilateral trade and economic relations. But now, both sides have been discussing all matters of mutual interest as they agreed also to expand and diversify the scope of cooperation into other sectors such as education, information, transportation, manpower, etc.

Since 1998, Indonesia is undergoing a profound political transition. This reformation is aimed to enhance and improve the political institutions through constitutional amendments and to overhaul the legal systems by adopting high standards of good governance. In the economic sector, the government is pursuing a pro-growth strategy by strengthening the export sector, promoting investments to create jobs, and speeding up rural economic development.

In April 2006, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono visited the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the first time since he was elected as the president of Indonesia. During this state visit, the President has a constructive dialogue with the Custodian of the two Holly Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz. President Yudhoyono also has extended invitation to the Custodian of the two Holly Mosques to visit Indonesia. The Custodian of the two Holly Mosques King Abdullah accepted this invitation and has conveyed that he will go to Indonesia to meet his brothers and sisters. This reply reflects the cordial and longstanding relations between the two brotherly countries.

At present there are about more than 600,000 Indonesians working in Saudi Arabia, around 160 students studying in this country, and every year about 200,000 Indonesian Muslims come for Haj to the holy city of Makkah. This figure reflects the growing relation between Riyadh and Jakarta and the common desire to foster friendly relations further. Indonesia and Saudi Arabia have enormous economic potentials that need to be explored further.

Today from Sumatra (the most western island in Indonesia) to Papua (the most eastern island), all Indonesian people celebrate their independence day with great happiness. I hope the Indonesian community that resides in Saudi Arabia will also share the same feeling, while they have become the good representatives of their nation

Dr. Salim Segaf Al-Jufrie

Ambassador

Indonesia