IKLAN AWAL
IKLAN TENGAH
Relations between the Netherlands and Indonesia
Indonesia and the Netherlands maintain close relations. Dutch businesses are making considerable investments in Indonesia’s fast-growing economy. Indonesia is also a Dutch partner country for development cooperation, with an emphasis on water management, food security and the justice sector. Owing to their shared history, the two countries maintain close cultural relations and have a special bilateral relationship.
Political relations
- Relations between Indonesia and the Netherlands go back many years. The Dutch first arrived in Indonesia at the end of the 16th century, seeking spices. Thereafter the Dutch presence in Indonesia gradually expanded. The Indonesian archipelago remained a Dutch colony for one and a half centuries after 1789, with the exception of the years between 1811 and 1816, when it was under British rule. However, certain regions did not actually come under Dutch rule until the end of the 19th century.
- In 1945, Indonesia declared itself independent of the Netherlands, a status recognised by the Netherlands in 1949. The political and moral acceptance of Indonesian independence 60 years after its declaration and the presence of the Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs at its commemoration in Indonesia on 17 August 2005 were seen by both countries as milestones in the normalisation of relations following independence. Indonesia’s president described the Dutch gesture as a historic step that paved the way for the two countries to focus on the future and work together more closely.
- Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s visit to Indonesia in 2013 was marked by the signing of the Joint Declaration on a Comprehensive Partnership, a document that forms the basis for the strategic partnership between the two countries. The document describes how they will work together in many areas, including human rights, the economy, security, culture and education.
- In the Netherlands there are currently more than 400,000 people with Dutch nationality who were born – or whose parents were born – in Indonesia.
Economic relations
- The Netherlands is one of the main foreign investors in Indonesia. Dutch companies invest in Indonesia’s financial sector, telecommunications, oil and gas, hydraulic engineering and the retail sector (foodstuffs).
- Through the Port of Rotterdam and Schiphol Airport, the Netherlands is Indonesia’s gateway to Europe. Dutch exports rose by 27% to €800 million in 2013, while imports from Indonesia amounted to €2.8 billion, putting the Netherlands in second place in the list of Indonesia’s EU trading partners.
- The Netherlands was the sixth largest foreign investor in Indonesia in 2013, with direct investments to the tune of €930 million. This figure does not include investments in oil and gas or the financial sectors.
- The main Dutch imports from Indonesia are animal and vegetable fats, organic chemical products, raw rubber, furniture and shoes. The main exports from the Netherlands are machinery (telecommunications equipment), dairy products, vehicles, ships and chemicals.
- The Netherlands supports its trading and investment relationship with Indonesia and the country’s economic development through a variety of programmes. In this connection the embassy in Jakarta cooperates closely with the Indonesian-Netherlands Association (INA), the bilateral Chamber of Commerce in Indonesia. Click on this link to find opportunities for grants or funding.
- For see the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) website.
Development relations
- Indonesia is a partner country for development cooperation, which focuses mainly on water (water management, drinking water and sanitation), strengthening the rule of law and food security.
- The Netherlands provides support to Indonesia for democratic development, internal stability, public safety and legal certainty. Indonesia also receives support from the Netherlands for the development of the police and the promotion of interfaith tolerance. Furthermore, support is given to non-governmental organisations (NGOs) defending human rights.
- The Netherlands works with civil society organisations and businesses to establish a better business climate, sustainable trade and agricultural production, and better drinking water supplies.
- For more information on the development programme and other Dutch activities in Indonesia, visit the website of the Dutch embassy in Jakarta. The website also gives an overview of the results of Dutch programmes in Indonesia.
Educational and cultural relations
- The Netherlands and Indonesia cooperate closely in education and science. The Netherlands Organisation for International Cooperation in Higher Education (Nuffic) has set up a Netherlands Education Support Office (NESO) in Jakarta. The NESO encourages cooperation on education and science, and promotes Dutch higher education among Indonesian students. A variety of Dutch universities and other research and educational institutions maintain contacts with individual institutions in Indonesia.
- There are, for example, exchange programmes with various universities and Indonesian and Dutch academics work together on joint research projects.
- The Dutch government provides scholarships for Indonesian students through programmes such as StuNed and the Netherlands Fellowship Programme.
- Every year around 1,500 Indonesians follow courses at 14 universities and various other higher education institutions in the Netherlands.
- The Netherlands and Indonesia maintain close cultural relations, mainly through the Erasmus Huis in Jakarta. It brings the best that Dutch culture has to offer to talented individuals, institutions and initiatives in Indonesia. There are also three other cultural centres on Java. The Erasmus Huis and the cultural centres regularly host Dutch, Indonesian and joint musical and dance performances, workshops and masterclasses. The Erasmus Huis also organises seminars and presentations.
- The Netherlands and Indonesia also work together in the field of culture and development, exchanging expertise, for example.
- Given their close historic ties, the Netherlands and Indonesia work closely together to preserve their shared cultural heritage. Activities include conserving historic buildings and archives and raising awareness of the importance of the cultural heritage among a young and wide public. Dutch institutions such as DutchCulture, the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands, the Dutch National Archives and museums are involved in these activities