Relations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Indonesia have been characterized by continuous growth and development for about 8 decades, encompassing various fields. The two brotherly countries are active members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and they also share an influential economic presence within the G20, in addition to the close and distinguished popular relations that bind their peoples.

The official relations between the two countries date back to the era of King Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman Al Saud - may God have mercy on him - as the Kingdom was one of the first countries to recognize the independence of the Republic of Indonesia. After that, the stage of exchanging commissions between the two sides began, which later developed into the exchange of ambassadors. The first Indonesian embassy was opened in Jeddah in 1948 AD, while the Saudi embassy was opened in Jakarta in 1955 AD.

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations, there have been successive mutual visits and bilateral meetings between the leaderships of the two countries at the highest levels, in addition to the formation of the joint committee in 1982 to discuss and develop aspects of cooperation.

The past years have witnessed high-level visits between the leaderships of the two countries. The visit of His Excellency President Joko Widodo of Indonesia to the Kingdom in 2015, and then the visit of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud - may God protect him - to Indonesia as part of his Asian tour - may God support him - in 2017, contributed to opening new horizons in relations between the two brotherly countries, and strengthening the bonds of cooperation between them in all fields.

During the visit, the two leaders witnessed the signing of a joint declaration, memoranda of understanding and cooperation programs, which included (18) agreements and memoranda of understanding in several fields, which raised bilateral relations to advanced levels.

Continuing the close relations, His Excellency the President of Indonesia accepted the invitation of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to participate in the Arab Islamic American Summit, which was hosted by Riyadh in May 2017.

In 2019, an official meeting was held in Riyadh between the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques - may God protect him - and His Excellency President Joko Widodo of Indonesia during his official visit to the Kingdom, during which they reviewed bilateral relations and prospects for joint cooperation, in addition to discussing regional and international developments.

A meeting was also held between His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Prime Minister, and His Excellency the President of Indonesia, during which they discussed ways to strengthen bilateral relations and expand areas of cooperation.

The visit of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to Indonesia on November 15, 2022, while he was leading the Kingdom’s delegation at the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Bali, embodied the two countries’ keenness to strengthen the strategic partnership. On the sidelines of the summit, a memorandum of understanding was signed for cooperation in the fields of energy, including: petroleum, gas, electricity, renewable energy, clean hydrogen, energy efficiency, the circular carbon economy, in addition to digital transformation, innovation, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence. The agreement aimed to exchange information and experiences, organize conferences and seminars, conduct joint studies, localize products and services, and enhance cooperation between companies in the two countries.

At the kind invitation of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, His Excellency President Joko Widodo paid an official visit to the Kingdom on October 19, 2023, where he was received by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh. An official meeting was held to review the historical relations between the two countries and ways to develop them in various fields.

Both sides welcomed the signing of the agreement to establish the Saudi-Indonesian Supreme Coordination Council, stressing their aspiration to expand the partnership and intensify cooperation in a way that serves common interests.

The coordination between the Kingdom and the Republic of Indonesia, within the framework of the Ministerial Committee mandated by the Extraordinary Joint Arab-Islamic Summit chaired by the Kingdom, contributed to creating an international movement to stop the war on Gaza and to exert pressure to launch a serious political process to achieve lasting peace in accordance with the approved international references. This resulted in the recognition of the State of Palestine by a number of European countries.

The two countries have strategic relations in the field of energy, and Aramco is the largest supplier of gasoline to the Republic of Indonesia, with its share in the Indonesian market ranging between 25 and 30% over the past four years. Aramco is also the largest supplier of oil to Indonesia, with average supplies reaching 11 million barrels annually. The two sides look forward to exploring ways of cooperation in the field of energy technology, and taking advantage of the opportunities provided by the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 and major projects, to strengthen joint cooperation in various fields in light of the two countries’ global economic standing and their membership in the G20.

The Kingdom is Indonesia’s largest trading partner in the region, and both countries are keen to continue working together to enhance and diversify trade between them, overcome any challenges they face, and intensify communication between the private sector. The volume of trade exchange between the two countries reached $6.5 billion by the end of 2024.

The most important goods exported to Indonesia were: (metal products, organic chemical products, plastics and their products, inorganic chemical products, fruits), and the most important goods re-exported were: (ships, boats and floating installations, machinery and mechanical appliances and their parts, medical, optical and photographic equipment, ceramic products, electrical appliances and equipment and their parts).

The most important goods imported into the Kingdom were: (cars and their parts, animal or vegetable greases and oils, ships, boats and floating installations, machinery and mechanical tools and their parts, wood and wood products; charcoal).

According to the Saudi aid platform, the Kingdom implemented 113 projects in Indonesia, with a total amount of (669,453,900) dollars, distributed across the following sectors: education, transportation and storage, industry, mining and mineral resources, agriculture, forestry and fisheries, health and early recovery, shelter and non-food items, and various other sectors as development, humanitarian, charitable and voluntary aid.

In order to provide facilities for pilgrims to the Sacred House of God from the Republic of Indonesia, the “Makkah Route” initiative, implemented by the Ministry of Interior as part of the initiatives of the Guests of God Service Program, one of the programs of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, provided its services in a number of Indonesian airports. The initiative had positive repercussions at all official and popular Indonesian levels, and it reinforced the Kingdom’s leadership of the Islamic world and its keenness to serve the Guests of God and to take care of the Two Holy Mosques and the holy sites.

Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims and Umrah performers from Indonesia come to the Kingdom every year. They are distinguished by a high degree of discipline, organization, and adherence to instructions, which has earned them a good reputation and made them a role model.

Culturally, the King Salman Global Academy for the Arabic Language implemented the Arabic Language Month in the Republic of Indonesia in the cities of (Jakarta) and (Malang). It consists of a group of training programs and scientific activities held in many educational institutions to develop Arabic language teaching curricula, improve the performance of its teachers, and enhance its presence. This is in support of the Kingdom for all issues related to the Arabic language, teaching it to non-native speakers, and building bridges of cooperation between the Academy and the entities interested in teaching it to non-native speakers outside the Kingdom.

The current visit of His Excellency the President of the Republic of Indonesia to the Kingdom coincides with the developments taking place in the region at the present time, which call for consultation and coordination between the leaderships of the two countries in order to enhance regional and international security and stability.

The two countries share the vision of resolving crises and ending disputes through peaceful and diplomatic means, via dialogue, and facilitating the appropriate conditions for achieving security and stability in the region and the world.