Indonesia and Belarus Strengthen Cultural Partnership

The Government of the Republic of Indonesia and the Republic of Belarus have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Cultural Cooperation, which is expected to yield various tangible programmes beneficial to both countries.

“Through this cooperation, we aim to bring together artists, cultural workers, museums, arts institutions, academics, and creative communities from both countries to learn, create, and innovate together. This is the essence of cultural diplomacy—building closeness between societies, which ultimately strengthens relations between nations,” said Indonesia’s Minister of Culture, Fadli Zon, in Jakarta on Thursday.

The Culture Minister expressed hope that the implementation of this MoU will give rise to concrete programmes that further strengthen Indonesia’s position as a global cultural power.

This agreement serves as a foundation for developing more structured, sustainable, and mutually beneficial cultural cooperation, while simultaneously strengthening people-to-people relations between Indonesia and Belarus.

Fadli also stated that the MoU represents a strategic step in bolstering Indonesia’s cultural diplomacy as part of efforts to enhance the country’s soft power on the international stage.

According to him, the signing of the MoU provides an important foundation for building a sustainable partnership between Indonesia and Belarus through art, cultural heritage, and creativity.

The MoU covers various areas of cooperation, including the development of networks between performing arts institutions such as theatre, film, museums, and artists’ organisations, the exchange of museum exhibitions, and participation in international film festivals.

Furthermore, both countries will strengthen cooperation on folklore, fine arts, traditional dance, traditional music, handicrafts, and other cultural fields mutually agreed upon according to the needs of both countries, to ensure effective implementation.

Indonesia and Belarus will establish a Joint Working Group tasked with facilitating, monitoring, evaluating, and reviewing the implementation of the MoU, as well as formulating concrete and sustainable work programmes.

The MoU is valid for five years from the date of signing and can be extended automatically by mutual agreement of both parties.