Minister of Culture - German Ambassador Discusses New MoU to Repatriate Sangiran Fossils

JAKARTA - The Minister of Culture of the Republic of Indonesia, Fadli Zon, opened a discussion on the renewal of Indonesian-German cultural cooperation, from updating the memorandum of understanding (MoU) to accelerating the repatriation of historical objects. The agenda was discussed in a bilateral meeting with the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Indonesia, Ralf Beste, at the Ministry of Culture's office, Jakarta, Tuesday, February 24.

Fadli assessed that the old framework of cooperation needed to be adjusted. He referred to the Agreement on Cultural Cooperation which was said to have been running since 1988. "We want to strengthen cooperation with the Federal Republic of Germany... maybe it's time for us to renew this cooperation," said Fadli.

In addition to the MoU, Fadli encouraged the strengthening of the platform for relations between communities through cultural centers, including the Indonesian Cultural House. He said Indonesia currently has an Indonesian Cultural House at the Indonesian Embassy in Berlin.

The most sensitive issue that was raised was the plan to discuss the repatriation of a number of fossils in Germany. Fadli said that 13 Sangiran Early Man fossils in the Senckenberg Museum were one of the topics that would be encouraged through dialogue. The government, he said, also discussed the opportunity for co-production of a film about Georg Eberhard Rumphius, a German naturalist who lived in Ambon.

Ralf Beste, who is said to have started to serve at the end of 2025, welcomed the proposal to update the cooperation. "Cultural fields such as history, film, books, and repatriation discussions ... we need to build the framework through a different approach ... Cooperation in the field of museums is also no less important," said Beste.

In the meeting, Fadli was accompanied by the Director General of Diplomacy, Promotion, and Cooperation Endah T.D. Retnodwiastuti and the Expert Staff for Economic and Cultural Industry Anindita Kusuma Listya.

Closing the meeting, Fadli expressed readiness to welcome the state visit of the President of the Federal Republic of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier to Indonesia on March 9, 2026, as well as plans for a meeting with the Director of the Frankfurt Book Fair who is said to be in the entourage.