The Indonesian government under President Prabowo Subianto remains committed to strengthening its relations with Pacific nations. This commitment demonstrates the continuity of Indonesia’s policy strategy, a priority during the previous administration of President Joko Widodo. This view was conveyed by Ambassador Adam Tugiyo, Expert Staff for Political, Defense, and Security Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, during a peer review of the Public Paper/Companion Book for the Grand Design of Indonesia’s Policy Strategy in the Pacific/Pacific Elevation Region (GDSKPE) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Diplomatic Canteen on December 18, 2024.
President Prabowo met with the leaders of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) countries in October 2024, including Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape, Vanuatu Prime Minister Charlot Salwai, and Solomon Islands Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele. This meeting was followed up by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Arrmanatha Natsir with bilateral meetings with Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Vanuatu, and the Director General of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) during the MSG ministerial meeting on November 29, 2024.
The peer review of the Public Paper/Accompanying Book was organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Foreign Policy Strategy Agency (BSKLN), the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Foreign Policy Strategy Agency (PACIS) at Parahyangan Catholic University, and the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Foreign Policy Strategy and Policy Research Institute (LPPSP) to finalize the final report prepared by PACIS and LPPSP. The peer review was opened by the Head of the Center for Policy Strategy in the Asia Pacific and moderated by Mr. Adi Kuntarto, Senior Diplomat at the BSKLN’s Multilateral Policy Strategy Center, who was a former member of the who was a member of the GDSKPE drafting team.
During the peer review, the PACIS Chair outlined the common ground between Indonesia’s interests and those of Pacific countries, which can serve as a foundation for strengthening cooperation and the strategic priorities formulated in the GDSKPE. For example, regarding regionalism, Indonesia and Pacific countries share an interest in strengthening the regional cooperation architecture in the Pacific region to address key regional issues. Regarding people-centered development, attention is paid to education, health, gender, and youth, for which Indonesia has established international development cooperation with Pacific countries. The development of the Java Sea Toll Road, Papua, and Papua New Guinea, is a strategy to strengthen Indonesia’s connectivity with Papua New Guinea, which can serve as a bridge to other Pacific countries.
The LPPSP UI team continued with presentations on Resource and Economic Development; Climate and Disasters; and Ocean and Environment.
Ambassador Adam Tugiyo expressed his appreciation for the accompanying GDSKPE draft and provided input to strengthen aspects related to the sustainability of the strategy under President Prabowo Subianto’s leadership. The Pacific Elevation Initiative was presented by Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsidi in 2019 under the leadership of President Joko Widodo.
Also present as speakers at the Peer Review were the Indonesian Ambassador to Papua New Guinea, Mr. Andriana Supandy (cum-President of the Solomon Islands), and the Director of International Development Cooperation at the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mrs. Rina Setyawasti.
Mr. Andriana Supandy explained the structured engagement mechanisms Indonesia has implemented with Pacific countries. For example, regarding Indonesia’s relationship with Papua New Guinea (PNG), which serves as a gateway to the Pacific due to its land border with Indonesia. Since 2022, Indonesia has held a regular annual leaders’ dialogue with Papua New Guinea, where the PNG Prime Minister met with the Indonesian President in Jakarta. In 2023, the Indonesian President met with the PNG Prime Minister in Port Moresby, and in 2024, the PNG Prime Minister visited Jakarta, Indonesia. In 2025, the Indonesian President was invited to visit PNG for the Golden Jubilee celebrations of PNG’s Independence.
Ms. Rina Setyawati presented various international development collaborations initiated by Indonesia for Pacific countries. From 2019-2024, 22 grant programs out of a total of 85 Indonesian grant programs were awarded to Pacific countries. In 2024, this number reached eight programs with a grant value of 110.56 billion rupiah.
Responses were also provided by active participants in the Peer Review. Among the respondents were Ms. Etty from the Pacific and Oceania Directorate, who expressed the need for more concrete strategic options to advance cooperation, particularly with Pacific countries. Mr. Bayu from the ASEAN External Cooperation Directorate provided an update on ASEAN-PIF cooperation, including the Pacific Islands Forum’s desire to establish a relief center modeled after ASEAN.
The PACIS team who attended the Peer Review included Yulius P. Hermawan and Aknolt Kristian Pakpahan, who presented the revised accompanying text for the GDSKPE, and several research assistants, Adelia Jessica Salim, Nazwa, and Gissela Silvia Yahya.
