Indonesia's ties with Egypt based on long history

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.