Foreign Ministry Launches IORA 2026 Task Force to Strengthen Indian Ocean Diplomacy
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has launched the “Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Indonesia 2026 Task Force” to strengthen diplomacy in the Indian Ocean region.
The launch was carried out directly by the Director General of Asia Pacific and Africa at the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Santo Darmosumarto, during a Coordination Meeting on Strengthening Indonesia’s Cooperation in IORA, attended by relevant ministries, agencies, and the West Sumatra Provincial Government in Padang on Monday (10/8).
In his remarks, Director General Santo emphasised that the effectiveness of Indonesia’s diplomacy in IORA is determined by domestic consistency and synergy.
“We must change the coordination pattern from ad-hoc to active, structured, and sustainable coordination,” Santo said in a statement from the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday.
The reactivation of the task force, initiated since 2025, is a concrete manifestation of government synergy to safeguard national interests in the Indian Ocean.
The region is considered not merely a cross-continental shipping lane, but a strategic space where global geopolitical and geo-economic dynamics converge—making IORA a crucial forum.
Indonesia is utilising the IORA forum as a strategic instrument to advance national priorities, such as maritime security, the blue economy, disaster management, trade and investment, and women’s economic empowerment.
The establishment of the IORA 2026 Task Force is expected to further encourage Indonesia to formulate concrete work programme proposals that have a real impact in the region.
In addition, the task force is also expected to oversee the strategic agenda during Indonesia’s Chairmanship of the IORA Blue Economy Working Group, promote cross-sector synergy, optimise the utilisation of IORA special funding, and strengthen partnerships with IORA dialogue partner countries.
In a meeting with West Sumatra Governor Mahyeldi Ansharullah, Director General Santo emphasised the great potential of West Sumatra—whose position faces directly towards the ocean—in developing regional cooperation that can contribute to the achievement of national agendas, especially improving connectivity, energy security, and food security.
On that occasion, several synergy activities between the central and regional governments were also identified to enhance cooperation with countries in the Indian Ocean rim region for 2027.