KBRN, Jakarta: One year into President Prabowo Subianto’s leadership, Indonesia’s diplomacy has continued to strengthen on the global stage. Foreign relations are directed at safeguarding sovereignty, defending national interests, and delivering tangible benefits for the people.

The government affirms that Indonesia's foreign policy remains independent and active, and non-aligned. Indonesia is friendly with all nations without yielding to any pressure, and consistently sides with peace and justice.

The principle “a thousand friends are too few, one enemy is too many” is genuinely implemented in Indonesia's foreign policy. This approach has become a smart and effective strategy to strengthen Indonesia’s position as a sovereign nation.

Over the past year, Indonesia’s economic diplomacy has recorded historic achievements. Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements (CEPA) with the European Union and Canada were finalized, opening new markets for national products.

Strategic cooperation with the United States (US) also boosted Indonesia’s export competitiveness. Import tariffs on Indonesian products to the US were reduced from 32 percent to 19 percent, spurring growth in labor-intensive sectors.

"After a series of negotiations, President Prabowo personally negotiated the tariff reduction with US President Donald Trump. "The Head of State continued negotiations until an agreement was reached," said Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya recently.

Indonesia has also expanded its defense and security diplomacy on the global stage. The Garuda Contingent appeared at France’s Bastille Day and India’s Republic Day, symbols of international recognition of the TNI’s strength.

At the 80th United Nations General Assembly in New York, US, Indonesia demonstrated its commitment to world peace. The government offered to send 20,000 peacekeeping troops and IDR 200 billion in food aid for Palestine.

The Head of State was the third speaker at the 80th UN General Assembly session. “We are ready to take part in efforts toward peace,” said President Prabowo before the forum.

Hajj service diplomacy was also strengthened in favor of the Muslim community. The establishment of the Hajj Ministry reduced the waiting period to 26.4 years and included approval for building the Indonesian Village in Mecca.

Economic and investment diplomacy also showed concrete results. President Prabowo’s visits to Japan, the US, Canada, and the Netherlands resulted in investment commitments totaling USD 23.8 billion.

These results reinforce Indonesia’s position as a principled and influential nation. The government emphasizes that diplomacy is conducted to uphold the dignity of the nation and to fight for global peace. (Diffa Sephiawardhani/Bambang MBKA)