Jakarta, January 22 - Indonesia and Cuba celebrate 64 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations. It all began when Commander Ernesto Guevara (Che) arrived in Jakarta in 1959 as the Special Envoy of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Cuba. At the end of his stay, the announcement was made: Indonesia and Cuba would establish diplomatic relations.
January 22, 1960, marks the official date of the establishment of ties between the two states. Four months later, Ackmed Soekarno, the founding president of the Republic of Indonesia, made his historic visit to Cuba. He was the first head of state to visit the Caribbean island after the triumph of the Revolution. There, he had extensive exchanges with Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro. The mutual sympathy between the two leaders was evident.
Since then and until today, the two countries have maintained a strong cooperation based on collaboration on issues of the international agenda. Cuba recognizes Indonesia's role as a precursor to the Non-Aligned Movement, of which we have had the privilege of being pro tempore presidents on two occasions. At the same time, Cuba appreciates Indonesia's firm stance against the economic, commercial, and financial blockade imposed by the United States and thanks for its consistent vote in favor of the Cuban Resolution in the General Assembly, which for 26 years has called for an end to this obsolete policy.
Cuba's solidarity support to Indonesia perhaps had one of its most emotional moments when, in 2005, a brigade of 25 Cuban doctors went to the province of Banda Aceh to help the victims of the earthquake and tsunami that hit the region. Cuba returned later with the International Contingent of Doctors Specialized in Disaster Situations and Serious Epidemics "Henry Reeve," which arrived in Yogyakarta in May 2006 with around 78 doctors, among other specialists, who worked intensively in two fully equipped field hospitals provided by the Caribbean nation.
The ties between the two nations have overcome the tests of time and distance to exhibit concrete results of cooperation in areas such as sports, health, culture, human resources training, as well as epidemiological surveillance.
Looking to the past propels us to move towards the future with greater determination. At this moment, Indonesia and Cuba are immersed in overcoming geographical barriers and enhancing trade that honors the political ties between the two countries. Currently, both countries share the vision of promoting economic diplomacy and seeking new markets for our respective productions.
In this context, the potential for Cuban and Indonesian companies increases, especially in areas such as tourism, agriculture, the pharmaceutical industry, and biotechnology.
Embassy of Cuba in Indonesia.