In Conversation with Germany’s Foreign Minister H.E. Dr. Johann Wadephul on “Germany’s Foreign Policy Outlook on the Indo-Pacific: Positioning Germany and Indonesia in a Changing World Order”

On 20 August 2025, Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia (FPCI), in collaboration with the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Jakarta, hosted a public discussion featuring Federal Foreign Minister of Germany, H.E. Dr. Johann Wadephul, on “Germany’s Foreign Policy Outlook on the Indo-Pacific: Positioning Germany and Indonesia in a Changing World Order.” The event marked Minister Wadephul’s first public address during his inaugural official visit to Asia-Pacific as the Foreign Minister of Germany. The discussion highlighted Germany’s foreign policy outlook on the Indo-Pacific and its efforts to strengthen its engagement with Indonesia as a key partner. 

Moderated by Prof. Poppy Sulystianing Winanti, Distinguished Professor of International Relations at Universitas Gadjah Mada, the discussion featured three speakers:

  1. H.E. Dr. Johann Wadephul, Federal Foreign Minister of Germany
  2. H.E. Arif Havas Oegroseno, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia
  3. Dr. Shofwan Al Banna Choiruzzad, FPCI Fellow; Associate Professor at Universitas Indonesia

Opening Remarks by Ambassador Soemadi Brotodiningrat

Ambassador Soemadi Brotodiningrat, FPCI Senior Fellow

In his opening remarks, Ambassador Soemadi Brotodiningrat (FPCI Senior Fellow) welcomed Minister Wadephul on his first official visit to Asia-Pacific.  Ambassador Soemadi also expressed his optimism that the discussion will generate ideas that will help Indonesia and Germany in facing the current challenges of change.

Keynote Address by H.E. Dr. Johann Wadephul

H.E. Dr. Johann Wadephul, Federal Foreign Minister of Germany

In his keynote address, H.E. Dr. Johann Wadephul underscored the significance of  Indonesia as one of Germany’s key partners. 

“That’s what I am here for: to strengthen and expand our bonds. We, Indonesians and Germans, have a common goal: to achieve freedom, security, and prosperity through partnership with others. We are meeting at a time when Europe, Europeans, and Asians are facing a multitude of new challenges together.

[…] Our joint answer to this must be an unwavering commitment to investing in our partnerships. Because we are only strong, we are only able to move forward, if we stand together.” 

Foreign Minister Wadephul emphasized Germany and Indonesia’s shared core values, objectives, and commitment towards a rules-based international order as the foundation of their partnership. Beyond these values, he noted that Germany and Indonesia face similar challenges and share common interests in addressing them.

Furthermore, Minister Wadephul reiterated Germany’s commitment to the EU’s Global Gateway Programme, in the form of various partnerships in different sectors with Indonesia.

“Germany is proud to be the lead country in jointly upgrading Indonesia’s rail connectivity in the framework of the Surabaya Regional Railway Line. And it’s also why Germany is assuming greater international responsibility in security and defense policy. Why we are helping to strengthen the resilience of our partners. […] But it’s also why we are engaged in the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) with Indonesia. Together, we are turning our shared commitment to decarbonization into tangible progress because global challenges need collective action and reliable partnership.”

Read FM Wadephul’s Full Keynote Address

Public Discussion on “Germany’s Foreign Policy Outlook on the Indo-Pacific: Positioning Germany and Indonesia in a Changing World Order”

The panel discussion explored  Germany’s engagement and its foreign policy outlook in the Indo-Pacific region, areas of strategic cooperation with Indonesia, and joint efforts in maintaining sovereignty, security, and prosperity.

Foreign Minister Wadephul emphasized the growing interdependence between Europe and the Indo-Pacific. He noted that developments in one region inevitably affect both security and economic stability in the other, making closer cooperation essential. He also stressed that Europe and Indonesia share common values and interests in defending the international rules-based order, and that prosperity in both regions depends on protecting this system. From a European perspective, he described the Indo-Pacific as “the most interesting region,” pointing to its young populations, stable state systems, and rising political and economic potential. For Germany, he emphasized, this is precisely why a greater focus on the Indo-Pacific—and on Indonesia as a partner—is both necessary and timely.

Building to Minister Wadephul’s points, H.E. Arif Havas Oegroseno, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia, reaffirmed  the shared core values and commitment towards a rules-based international order, and expressed his concern on the eroded international law—underlining these common grounds as a strong foundation for mutual understanding and cooperation between Indonesia and Germany.  Vice Minister Havas also shared his experience in partnering with Germany. 

“The world is lacking reliability and certainty. These are the two strategic rare commodities today. Certainty is becoming a very important and losing commodity in many relations around the world. So I think from my experience as an ambassador to Germany, Germany is a very reliable partner.”

Dr. Shofwan Al Banna Choiruzzad presented his view on Indonesia-Germany’s partnership and highlighted the need for more agile and innovative cooperation in times of great challenges. 

“Germany and Indonesia, as well as the largest groupings like EU and ASEAN, should not only work as usual, because extraordinary times, the times of crisis, need not only the usual cooperation-building measures. We need to be faster, we need to be more creative in developing and shaping this cooperation.” 

Dr. Shofwan also shared his view on Indonesia’s approach to cooperation. Indonesia follows a more inclusive approach to international relations, favoring cooperation with all partners over great-power rivalry. Meanwhile, Germany shares the same values and reiterates its support in infrastructure and energy development in Indonesia.
The public discussion reflected Germany’s commitment to deepening cooperation with Indonesia and the wider Indo-Pacific region, supporting multilateralism, and addressing global issues collectively. The event was attended by more than 60 German delegates, 20 think tank and academic representatives, 30 press correspondents, and 180 university students.

You can rewatch the public discussion on our YouTube channel “Sekretariat FPCI.” In Conversation with H.E. Dr. Johann Wadephul

Halo China Video Competition 2024

Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia (FPCI) and the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Jakarta, China Public Diplomacy Association, and CGTN are in cooperation to bring back the Halo China video competition in the year 2024!

Now in its fifth year, the competition will focus on the theme, “China Through My Eyes.”

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FPCI-GRIPS Virtual Public Forum Indonesia and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Membership: Weighing the Political-Economic Implications

On Tuesday, 30 January 2024, FPCI-GRIPS hosted a virtual public forum with the topic “Indonesia and OECD Membership: Weighing the Political-Economic Implications”, organized by Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia and the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) of Japan, and this is the fourth forum of this year’s FPCI-GRIPS Virtual Public Forum series. The distinguished speakers included Dr. Muhammad Hadianto, Deputy Director/Lead Coordinator for Multilateral Cooperation on Economy, Finance, and International Financial Institution Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs, Republic of Indonesia, Amb. Yoshifumi Okamura, Vice President of Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University and Former Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Japan to the OECD, and Shinta Kamdani, Chairman of Indonesian Employers Association (APINDO) and moderated by Lusia Novita Sari, FPCI Women in Foreign Policy Fellow.

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Halo China Video Competition 2023

Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia (FPCI) and the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Jakarta, China Public Diplomacy Association, and CGTN are in cooperation to bring back the Halo China video competition in the year 2023! This year, the competition will focus on the theme, “Together Towards Future: Celebrating 10th Anniversary of China-Indonesia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and the Belt and Road Initiative.”

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1000 Abrahamic Circles Public Discussion – “Minority-to-Majority Dialogue: Assisting a receiver for the minority’s messages”

A respectful and friendly relationship between minority and majority groups are essential to reach a world of peace and harmony. But how do we maintain a good relationship between the majority and minority and make sure that minorities’ rights are being valued in the world?

https://www.1000circles.com/post/minority-to-majority-dialogue-assisting-a-receiver-for-the-minority-s-messages

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1po5NLZAq0FKZUsUNVZdzapdfvA46L-idj67R0nRi3FY/edit?usp=sharing

Think Tank Dinner

FPCI hosted a Think Tank Dinner to connect, update, and discuss among think tanks based in Jakarta issues as well as their plans for the year 2023. The meeting was held closed-door, in a small group, at the same table. More than 20 think tanks were represented in that first Think Tank Dinner.

FPCI Public Discussion: Event on One Year Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine”

In February 2023, marking one year of the war in Ukraine, FPCI organized a public forum titled “Ukraine on Fire: One Year of Resistance.” This event brought together prominent figures and experts to discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine. The forum began with opening remarks from H.E. Vasyl Hamianin, Ambassador of Ukraine to Indonesia, and Dr. Dino Patti Djalal, Founder and Chairman of FPCI. The panel discussion featured:

Speakers: 1. Prof. Yuddy Chrisnandi, Ambassador of Indonesia to Ukraine (2017-2021); 2. Radityo Dharmaputra, FPCI Fellow & Lecturer of International Relations at Universitas Airlangga; and 3. Kris Mada, Journalist at KOMPAS, who covered the war in Ukraine in 2022

Moderator: Dini Putri Saraswati, Lecturer of International Relations at Universitas Pembangunan Nasional Veteran Jakarta The forum was held in-person at Bengkel Diplomasi, FPCI Secretariat, Jakarta, Indoensia.

A recording of the event is available at Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/live/wcYdXZ4abrY