The Now! Jakarta Ambassadors’ Round Table now reaches its fourth edition in the series having already hosted the Ambassadors of Austria, Germany and the Netherlands in the first, Argentina , Brazil and Chile in the second, and Peru, Spain and the Czech Republic in the third.
Founder and Publisher Alistair Speirs was delighted to host their Excellencies of Japan, Slovakia and Hungary in this latest round. Below after the brief introductions , you will find their answers to three questions posed to each. Please enjoy their heartfelt dedication to working with Indonesia to make life better for both countries.
Introducing the Ambassadors
H.E. Mr. Yasushi MASAKI, who was born in Tokyo, 1962, joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan in 1984 and served in the Embassy of Japan in France and in Iran. He has held many positions in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs over the years including Director, WTO Dispute Settlement Division, Economic Affairs Bureau Counsellor, Cabinet Secretariat (National Security Affairs and Crisis Management) of Government of Japan. Director, Economic and Social Treaties Division, International Legal Affairs Bureau. Director, International Legal Affairs Division, and several more important posts.
Most recently he was Director-General, European Affairs Bureau Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the European Union before being appointed as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the Republic of Indonesia.
H.E. Mrs. Lilla Karsay, Ambassador of Hungary to the Republic of Indonesia, Timor-Leste and ASEAN, was born in Budapest in 1990 and educated at The International School of Tongji University (Shanghai, China), Budapest Business University of International Management and Business, and Kainan University (Taoyuan, Taiwan). She is married to Mr. David Miguel Medina Rojas.
Having started her career at the Hungarian National Trading House, a governmental export promotion agency, as a Regional Assistant for China, before moving into the role of International Relations Specialist for Asia. In 2016, she moved to Indonesia, where she was appointed Chief of the Representative Office of the Hungarian National Trading House’s Jakarta office. In 2019, she joined the foreign service and became Head of Trade and Investment at the Embassy of Hungary in Jakarta. After two years in her diplomatic career, she was appointed Ambassador of Hungary to the Republic of Indonesia, Timor-Leste, and ASEAN in 2021. She was awarded the Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Award in 2021.
H.E. Mr Tomáš FERKO (TF) is Ambassador of the Slovak Republic to the Republics of Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Brunei Darussalam, Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste and Independent State of Papua New Guinea. He was born in Košice, Slovakia, on 26 April 1978 and is married to Laura Ferko. He was previously Ambassador of the Slovak Republic to Australia, New Zealand, Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. He worked in the Office of the President of the Slovak Republic as Director of Protocol Department and in the Embassy of the Slovak Republic in Berlin as Deputy Head of Mission, having completed a number of senior roles in both Slovak Republic and around the world. He has a Masters in International Relations and Diplomacy and is fluent in English, German and Serbian.
Ambassadors Interview
AGS. What have been the high points in the relationship with Indonesia over the years? Were there any breakthrough moments that stand out?
YM: Of course, after the war we have had a long history of friendship with Indonesia and so it’s difficult to find only one high point in our relations. But most recently, last year was a very historically important year because we commemorated the 65th Anniversary of the establishment of our diplomatic relations and His Majesty the Emperor of Japan visited Indonesia. After this through negotiations and also government to government discussions, the leaders have agreed to upgrade our bilateral relations to a Comprehensive and Strategic Partnership. So, I dare say the last two years have been very important to us, and of course, this is also important because Indonesia is now having a new president.
T.F: The relationship between Slovakia and Indonesia today is based on the positive sentiments from the times of Czechoslovakia and relations established in the early 1950s. Czechoslovakia, a former country that existed until 1992 (when it peacefully split into the Czech Republic and Slovak Republic), had a relatively active and positive relationship with Indonesia throughout its existence. Sukarno, as Indonesia’s first president and a founding figure of the Non-Aligned Movement, had strong ties with socialist countries. Under the leadership of Sukarno, Czechoslovakia became a key partner in Indonesia’s modernisation efforts during the 1950s and 1960s.
Sukarno admired Czechoslovakia’s industrial and technological advancements and sought assistance in developing Indonesia’s infrastructure and military capabilities. Czechoslovakia maintained positive relations with Indonesia until the country dissolved peacefully in 1992. Slovakia established formal diplomatic relations with Indonesia in 1993, including the establishment of embassies in both countries.
Today we enjoy friendly relations: our countries share similar views on the need to respect international law and support multilateralism based on the principles of the UN Charter. We also have very close views on many foreign policy issues. There were some notable High-Level Visits and Agreements signed over the years. For instance, in October 2011, the President of Slovakia, Ivan Gašparovič, visited Indonesia; President RI Megawati Sukarnoputri visited Slovakia in 2002; Vice President Ma´ruf Amin in 2023; and Slovak Minister of Defence meeting with (then) President-elect Prabowo in Jakarta.
Over the years, the trade volume between Slovakia and Indonesia has steadily increased, especially in sectors like chemicals, machinery, and natural resources. Trade missions from Slovakia to Indonesia, including in 2018 and 2020, helped secure significant deals and investment partnerships.
L.K. The other two things are skilled workers and the technologies. You may not be aware but Hungary is receiving thousands of Indonesian workers at the moment, which is good for both parties. There is also a program for polytechnic students who are doing internship programs, but also workers who are mostly in the automotive industry, for example, which is also a very important industry right now in Indonesia.
And as mentioned the third thing is technology, for Hungary is very well known in Eastern Europe. We are well known for our creative minds, such as inventing the Rubik’s Cube or the ballpoint pen. We are also very affordable, and we are trying to address cutting-edge technologies. At the moment as Indonesia is very rich in the natural resources such as coal or raw materials, which also need the appropriate technologies in order to process and have added value. Sri Mulyani highlighted that without technology transfers, Indonesia will not be competitive and will not be able to reach their goals, so Hungary is ready to cater to these needs. As a matter of fact, we also organise a Tech Business Forum every year, which is a platform for Hungarian and Indonesian companies to meet and try to address the needs of Indonesia, whether it’s related to agriculture, the defence industry or infrastructure development.
AGS. What are the strongest elements in the relationship with Indonesia today? What are the factors and sectors that you are most concentrating on?
YM: We have worked for many years with the development of Indonesia and that most recently we worked very hard in the sectors such as infrastructures and the energy sector. And maybe I would take some examples in the infrastructure projects in Jakarta, we have a very good construction project, a subway which is called MRT, and this is a Japan-Indonesia project.
We have already have built a line from South to North and recently we started to extend the line to the North and most recently we are ready to have a new line from East to West. So, in this kind of transport sector, cooperation is very important. But of course, in addition to that, we have a major Japanese automobile industry here who are producing cars, Japanese cars here, and not only to distribute them to the local market here, but also to export to various countries.
And more and more we have a very strong cooperation in the energy sector, especially in the renewable energy sector such as geothermal power plants, hydro power plants or waste-to-energy plants. There is also another more important area being the exchange of people. Many people, Indonesians, are going to Japan, not only as tourists, but also as students and more and more as skilled workers.
T.F: We see a huge potential for cooperation in agriculture, especially in the field of wheat cultivation. Both our countries are striving to achieve food self-sufficiency. During the pandemic, but also due to the war in Ukraine we have seen how volatile our supply chains are, including food prices. The Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, together with the company Osivo Zvolen and the Indonesian University Andalas, has bred a tropical wheat variety for Indonesia, which in November 2014 was officially registered with the Ministry of Agriculture.
We would also like to attract investment from Indonesia. In addition to its strategic location in the centre of Europe, Slovakia can offer a transparent tax system and a skilled workforce. Slovakia is one of the most beautiful countries in the region and offers diverse nature, a rich culture, a responsible level of infrastructure and, last but not least, friendly people.
Although relatively small, Indonesia’s workforce in Slovakia has slowly been expanding, especially as Slovakia seeks to address labour shortages in certain industries, including automotive, manufacturing, construction, hospitality and healthcare (Slovakia is one of the largest per capita car producers in the world).
Slovak Universities and educational institutions are gradually increasing cooperation, which could lead to more skilled Indonesian workers in Slovakia in the future. Exchange programmes or internships provide opportunities for Indonesian to gain experience Slovak industries, particularly technical fields such as engineering, IT and healthcare. President Prabowo also expressed interest to provide scholarships for future medics studying at Slovak universities.
L.K. I would like to talk about the three key elements behind the plan for Indonesia’s economic growth to achieve its “Golden Vision 2045” and especially how Hungary can connect to them. Last year, Sri Mulyani, the Indonesian Minister of Finance gave a wonderful presentation about what Indonesia has to focus on in order to achieve substantial growth. And these three areas of focus are fortunately connected to Hungary as well.
As already mentioned, Hungary is implementing a multi-lane free-flow electronic toll payment system, which is actually the biggest technology transfer export of Hungary’s modern economic history.
The other two things involved skilled workers and the technologies for skilled workers. You may not be aware but Hungary is receiving thousands of Indonesian workers at the moment, which is good for both parties. There is also a program for polytechnic students who are doing internship programs, but also workers who are mostly in the automotive industry, for example, which is also a very important industry right now in Indonesia.
The third thing is technology, which Hungary is well-known for in Eastern Europe. We are well known for our creative minds, such as inventing the Rubik’s Cube or the ballpoint pen. We are also very affordable, and we are trying to address cutting-edge technologies. Indonesia is very rich in the natural resources such as coal or raw materials and metals which need the appropriate technologies in order to have added value. Sri Mulyani highlighted that without technology transfers, Indonesia will not be competitive and will not be able to reach their goals, so Hungary is ready to cater to these needs. We also organise the Tech Business Forum every year, which is a platform for Hungarian and Indonesian companies to meet and try to address the needs of Indonesia, whether it’s related to agriculture, the defence industry or infrastructure development.
AGS. What about the future, where do you want to take the relationship to next?
YM: So, I think Indonesia will develop not only catch up with Japan but maybe will overtake our country, but our relations will not change. We will work together always for a good future. Both Indonesia and I think Japan have the experience and the capacity to work together and Indonesia holds a beautiful future and that will be also a very big opportunity to Japan.
I think for Japan, the nature and duration of the relationship is a winning formula and hopefully we will continue to work more with Indonesia for many years to come Our strongest thanks go to their Excellencies in their outstanding cooperation in this round table event which allows each country to express their hopes for the future relationship with Indonesia. Thank you.
T.F: We support the achievement of a balanced and mutually beneficial CEPA agreement between the EU and Indonesia. We welcome the progress made in the EU-Indonesia negotiations, as well as the renewed efforts of the Indonesian government to bring the negotiations to a successful conclusion. Slovakia views positively Indonesia’s candidacy to join the OECD structure as a full member and sees Indonesia as a key partner of the OECD. Among the countries of the Southeast Asian region, it is the closest to the standards of the organisation.
Above all, we seek the best possible ways to enhance people-to-people cooperation. Our goal is to create the space for opportunities to know each other better and to trust each other better. Then we can build a prosperous future.
L.K. As we celebrate the 70th anniversary of our diplomatic relations, I’m really excited to organise a range of events that will help bring our countries even closer together. These will include cultural, educational, and business-focused activities, and I’m also expecting visits from high-level delegations. Looking ahead, I want to put more focus on making the ASEAN region more visible in Budapest. Southeast Asia has such incredible potential, and I believe it’s important to highlight that the future lies in this region.
With the upcoming government led by President-elect Prabowo Subianto, I’m looking forward to seeing new opportunities once his goals are clearer from an international perspective. While technology transfer will still be a priority, I also want to explore other sectors like agritech and the defence industry to diversify our cooperation. We also have an increasing number of Indonesian alumni who studied in Hungary through our scholarship programs, and I’d love to see them become more involved in strengthening our ties.
Our strongest thanks go to their Excellencies in their outstanding cooperation in this round table event which allows each country to express their hopes for the future relationship with Indonesia. Thank you.
