Indonesia and Kuwait: A friendship stuck in neutral

On 31 October, 2025, Indonesia’s Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Anis Matta concluded a working visit to Kuwait City that quietly underscored a larger truth: despite 57 years of formal ties and a year since President Prabowo Subianto took office, Indonesia’s relationship with Kuwait has yet to move beyond polite diplomacy.

During his meeting with Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Alahmad Alsabah, Kuwait’s Deputy Foreign Minister, both sides reaffirmed a commitment to deepen cooperation in politics, security, and economics. They discussed potential collaboration between the Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA)—the world’s oldest sovereign wealth fund—and Indonesia’s Danantara investment agency, signaling an interest in linking Kuwait’s financial strength with Indonesia’s development goals. But while the language of partnership was encouraging, the absence of concrete follow-up reflected a pattern that has defined Indonesia–Kuwait relations for years: symbolic gestures, few tangible results.

That same gap between rhetoric and realization was evident earlier in October, when Indonesia’s Ambassador to Kuwait, Lena Maryana Mukti, emphasized in a public statement that cooperation between the two nations must expand beyond tradition. Her message, delivered in conjunction with the commemoration of 57 years of diplomatic relations, focused not on ceremony but on substance. She identified energy, food security, and investment as the key pillars for a modernized partnership—sectors that align with both nations’ long-term priorities.

Mukti highlighted Indonesia’s renewable energy potential of 3,700 gigawatts, an untapped resource that could anchor future joint ventures. She invited Kuwait, long dependent on hydrocarbons but now seeking diversification, to channel investment into Indonesia’s growing clean energy and agricultural sectors. She also urged reciprocal engagement, calling for two-way investment—Kuwaiti capital in Indonesia and Indonesian participation in Kuwait’s industrial and food production projects. This vision would not only strengthen economic ties but align both economies with global sustainability goals.

Another crucial area Lena underscored was labor mobility and worker protection. Over 6,000 Indonesians now work in Kuwait, mostly in healthcare, oil and gas, and hospitality. She praised Kuwait’s continued adherence to the 1996 Memorandum of Understanding on Manpower, which guarantees the protection and welfare of Indonesian workers. At the same time, she called for expanded cooperation in skills training and workforce certification—steps that could make Indonesian labor more competitive in Kuwait’s high-value economy, where one dinar equals over 50,000 Indonesian Rupiah.

These themes—renewable energy, investment, food security, and labor—should form the core of a revitalized partnership. Yet so far, progress has been limited. Prabowo’s administration has been vocal about elevating Indonesia’s global profile, but the country’s diplomacy with Kuwait remains overshadowed by its more active engagement with the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Both those relationships have already produced large-scale projects and defense agreements. Kuwait, by comparison, remains a friendly but underutilized partner.

READ: Indonesia denies reports that President Prabowo will visit Israel

In September 2025, Ambassador Lena Maryana Mukti met Fatmawati Rusdi, the Deputy Governor of South Sulawesi, in Makassar to explore new opportunities for collaboration in labor, energy, and investment. Fatmawati proposed that Kuwait invest in local infrastructure and renewable energy projects, such as the Sidrap and Jeneponto wind farms, while promoting provincial exports like seaweed, shrimp, cocoa, and Toraja coffee. She also encouraged cooperation in halal tourism and product promotion across the Gulf region. The meeting reflected growing momentum to connect regional economic potential with Kuwait’s investment capacity—though the initiatives discussed will need careful follow-up to translate into concrete results.

Even symbolic efforts at cultural diplomacy have faltered. The much-anticipated Indonesia–Kuwait football friendly, scheduled for September 2025 in Surabaya, was canceled after Kuwait withdrew, citing internal issues. Erick Thohir, chairman of the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI), called the cancellation disappointing, noting that it had been planned to build rapport ahead of Indonesia’s World Cup qualifiers. While minor in itself, the episode mirrored the broader state of affairs: good intentions, but little follow-through.

Indonesia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Anis Matta has himself acknowledged the gap. When meeting Kuwait’s Ambassador-Designate Khalid Jassim Al-Yassin in July, he described bilateral relations as “close but underdeveloped.” He called for not just stronger bilateral engagement but also cooperation through ASEAN and broader regional mechanisms. His assessment was blunt but accurate. The relationship has all the right foundations—shared values, complementary economies, and diplomatic goodwill—but it lacks strategic direction.

For both nations, the potential is too great to remain untapped. Kuwait’s sovereign wealth and energy expertise could accelerate Indonesia’s renewable transition, while Indonesia’s vast agricultural and labor resources could help Kuwait strengthen its food security and diversification agenda. Educational and cultural exchanges, long discussed, should now be institutionalized to foster genuine people-to-people ties.

If Prabowo’s administration wants to prove that Indonesia’s “Golden Indonesia 2045” vision is more than an aspirational slogan, this is the kind of relationship that needs to be activated—not simply managed. The proposed KIA–Danantara partnership must lead to tangible investments. Labor cooperation should go beyond placement to include protection and training. And energy collaboration must focus on projects that deliver measurable benefits to both sides.

After 57 years of friendship, Indonesia and Kuwait still stand on solid diplomatic ground—but that alone is no longer enough. Anis Matta’s October visit and Ambassador Lena’s call for deeper cooperation should serve as a wake-up call: goodwill without action risks turning valuable relationships into footnotes. For Jakarta and Kuwait City, the moment to move from polite promises to practical progress is now.

OPINION: Indonesia should not bow to the IOC over its Palestine stance

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.