Indonesia, Belarus Strengthen Cultural Ties Through Bilateral Agreement

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesia and Belarus have strengthened their bilateral relations by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cultural cooperation during the state visit of Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko to Indonesia in Jakarta, on Thursday, 2, July 2026. The agreement underscores both countries' commitment to advancing cultural diplomacy as a key pillar of their strategic partnership.

The MoU was signed by Indonesia's Minister of Culture, Fadli Zon and Belarusian Foreign Minister, Maxim Ryzhenkov at the Merdeka Palace. The agreement is expected to establish a structured, sustainable, and mutually beneficial framework for cultural cooperation while fostering stronger people-to-people relations between the two nations.

Minister of Culture Fadli Zon, said the agreement represents a strategic step in strengthening Indonesia's cultural diplomacy and expanding the country's soft power on the global stage. "Under the leadership of President Prabowo Subianto, Indonesia continues to strengthen cultural diplomacy as one of the pillars of its international relations. Culture is one of Indonesia's greatest sources of soft power, capable of building trust, strengthening friendship, and creating mutually beneficial partnerships with countries around the world," he said.

Fadli added that the signing of the MoU provides an important foundation for long-term cooperation between Indonesia and Belarus through arts, cultural heritage, and creativity. He expressed hope that its implementation would generate concrete programs bringing tangible benefits to cultural institutions, artists, and creative communities in both countries.

The minister also emphasized that the partnership aims to connect artists, cultural practitioners, museums, academic institutions, and creative communities from Indonesia and Belarus to encourage collaboration, knowledge exchange, and innovation. According to him, this reflects the essence of cultural diplomacy in strengthening relations between people as a foundation for stronger ties between nations.

The memorandum covers a wide range of cultural cooperation, including partnerships among performing arts institutions, theaters, museums, film organizations, and artists' associations, as well as museum exhibition exchanges, participation in international film festivals, artist residencies, workshops, and cooperation in the preservation, documentation, and restoration of historical and cultural heritage. The two countries will also collaborate in the fields of folklore, visual arts, traditional dance, traditional music, handicrafts, and other mutually agreed cultural activities.

To ensure effective implementation, Indonesia and Belarus will establish a Joint Working Group responsible for facilitating, monitoring, evaluating, and reviewing the implementation of the agreement while developing sustainable cooperation programs. The memorandum will remain in force for five years and will be automatically renewed upon mutual agreement.

The signing of the agreement marks one of the key outcomes of President Aleksandr Lukashenko's state visit to Indonesia and reflects the growing partnership between the two countries. For Indonesia, the cooperation represents part of its broader strategy to strengthen cultural diplomacy by leveraging its rich cultural heritage, arts, and creativity to expand the country's positive global influence and deliver tangible benefits to cultural stakeholders in both nations.