Indonesia's ties with Egypt based on long history

By Al Busyra Basnur

JAKARTA (JP): The Treaty of Cordiality and Friendship, which was signed by Indonesia and Egypt on June 10 1947, is a very important document in the history of the bilateral relations between the two countries. It had a profound effect on the efficacy of subsequent Indonesian diplomatic endeavors in support of the struggle to defend and preserve Indonesian independence.

By virtue of this treaty, Egypt became one of the first countries to recognize Indonesian independence and sovereignty. Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas, in a seminar on Egyptian- Indonesian relations in Jakarta in July 1995 described the signing of the treaty as the first victory of Indonesian diplomacy abroad.

Egypt is one of the Indonesia's closest friends in the Middle East, a fact that most Indonesians are aware of. This is because when Indonesia was struggling to gain international recognition for its independence and sovereignty, to overcome the military blockade the Netherlands had imposed on its former colony to isolate it economically and diplomatically, Egypt and the other members of the Arab League stepped forward and accorded de facto and de jure recognition to Indonesia.

To emphasize its commitment to Indonesian independence, Egypt went to the extent of declaring persona non grata a member of the Dutch Embassy staff in Cairo for his obstreperous opposition to Egypt's recognition of Indonesia.

Egypt's role in Indonesia's struggle for independence was firmly acknowledged by Dr. Muhammad Hatta in an interview with Akhir Sa'ah on Dec. 23 1949. He stressed that Indonesia's first diplomatic victory was indeed pivotal because it was soon followed by recognition by several other Middle East countries and increased pressure on the Netherlands to keep its promise to withdraw its forces from Indonesian territory.

Egypt's recognition of Indonesia became the basis of a decision taken by a foreign ministers' meeting of the Arab League on Nov. 28 1946. In that forum, the independence of Indonesia that had been proclaimed the previous year was unanimously recognized.

Getting the instrument of recognition into the hands of the Indonesian authorities was no easy task. This was not only because no other nation had recognized Indonesia at that time but also because Indonesia was in the grip of a tight blockade by Dutch forces.

To break that blockade, the Egyptian Consul General in Bombay, Muhammad Abdul Mun'im, on instructions from Cairo, secretly flew to Yogyakarta on March 13 1947 to officially convey the documents of the recognition of Indonesian independence and sovereignty by Egypt and the Arab League nations. Abdul Mun'im was welcomed by president Sukarno, vice president Hatta and several cabinet members.

In response to the visit, Indonesia sent a diplomatic mission to Cairo led by the foreign minister, the "Grand Old Man" Haji Agus Salim. The mission included Nazir St. Pamuncak, H. Moh. Rasyidi, Abdurrahman Basweden and Major General Abdul Kadir.

Among the vitally important achievements of that Indonesian diplomatic mission were the signing of the Treaty of Cordiality and Friendship on 10 June 1947, the Agreement on the Opening of Diplomatic and Consular Relations and trade agreements. Indonesian foreign minister H. Agus Salim signed for Indonesia and his Egyptian counterpart Mahmud Fahmi Nokrasyi signed for Egypt.

The Netherlands often hampered the implementation of the Treaty of Cordiality and Friendship in various ways. Nevertheless, the signing of these treaties encouraged other Arab countries and their neighbors to sign similar treaties with Indonesia. These included Syria (July 1947), Lebanon (July 1947), Iraq (July 1947), Saudi Arabia (November 1947) and Yemen (May 1948).

Egypt's recognition of Indonesian independence occurred at a time when Egypt itself was facing serious political problems such as the emergence of the state of Israel and a dispute with Paris over Egypt giving asylum to a Moroccan citizen wanted by the French Government. But these obstacles did not deter Egypt from doing what it believed should be done for Indonesia.

On many occasions, Agus Salim expressed the view that relations between Egypt and Indonesia date back to the ninth century. Such relations continue to flourish today. The opening of an Indonesian representative office in Cairo in 1949 served to intensify these relations. The visit of former president Soeharto to Egypt last month, during which he also participated in the G- 15 Summit, served only to further strengthen the bonds of friendship between the two nations.

In the course of their excellent diplomatic relationship, Egypt and Indonesia have signed more than 20 agreements, Memorandums of Understanding and Agreed Minutes covering politics, economics, information exchange, trade, culture, sports, science and technology and religion.

Agreements between the two countries include an Agreement on Culture (October 1955), an Agreement on Cooperation in Information (October 1972), an Agreement on Cooperation between Antara News Agency and MENA (October 1977), a MOU on Youth and Sports (September 1994), an Agreement on Trade (March 1955) which was renewed on June 1977, an Airspace Agreement (August 1964), and an Agreement on Avoidance of Double Taxation.

Relations between Egypt and Indonesia can be expected to grow further in the future, bilaterally as well as multilaterally. This is because of the close historical ties between the two countries and their shared perceptions on international developments as well as their common vision of a more equitable world order.

The foreign policies of the two countries are similar in many ways. Both nations are advocates of nonalignment and cofounders of the Non-Aligned Movement. At the Asian-African Conference in Bandung in 1955 during which a new ethos of international relations, the Dasa Sila Bandung was handed down, Egypt was represented by its revered leader, Gamal Abdel Nasser. Since then the two countries have been complementing each other's diplomatic initiatives in such forums as the Non-Aligned Movement, the Group of 77, the Organization of the Islamic Conference and, of course, in the United Nations.

Indonesia had occasion to come to the support of Egypt when Cairo nationalized the Suez Canal in 1956 and sent a peacekeeping force under the umbrella of the United Nations to the Sinai Peninsula in 1973. Indonesia has also consistently supported Egypt's endeavors to help solve the issue of Palestine in the same way that Egypt has consistently supported Indonesia's stand on East Timor in the UN since 1977.

In light of the financial and economic crisis that has engulfed Indonesia since last year, Egypt has come to the aid of some 2.500 Indonesian students who are studying in Egypt by granting them scholarships so they can continue their studies in Egypt.

The writer is an international observer and a graduate of the University of the Santo Tomas (UST) Manila, Philippines.