Menbud Fadli Zon Targets New MoU, Saudi Arabia Ready to Accelerate Cultural Cooperation
JAKARTA - Minister of Culture (Menbud) Fadli Zon has begun to encourage more concrete steps in the cultural relations between Indonesia and Saudi Arabia. When receiving the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Indonesia, Faisal Abdullah H. Amodi, in Jakarta, Wednesday, April 1, Fadli not only talked about 76 years of friendship, but immediately led to a strategic agenda, namely the renewal of the memorandum of understanding, UNESCO support, to opportunities for film cooperation.
During the meeting, Menbud Fadli emphasized the establishment of the Ministry of Culture as an independent ministry as a new foothold to strengthen the agenda for the advancement of Indonesian culture which has a wide scope.
"This Ministry of Culture is the first to stand up after 79 years. Previously, cultural affairs were within the scope of education and tourism," said Fadli.
Accompanied by the Director General of Diplomacy, Promotion, and Cultural Cooperation Endah T.D. Retnoastuti and the Expert Staff of the Minister for Economic and Cultural Industry Anindita Kusuma Listya, Fadli emphasized that Indonesia wants to strengthen bilateral relations with Saudi Arabia, especially in the cultural sector.
One of the agendas discussed was the plan for the visit of the Minister of Culture of Saudi Arabia, Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan Al Saud, to Jakarta in the next 10 days. The visit is projected to be an important momentum to prepare for the renewal of the second cultural memorandum of understanding between the two countries which expires in 2027.
"Regarding cultural cooperation, in the next 10 days the Minister of Culture of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will visit Indonesia," said Faisal.
Indonesia also submitted a nomination to the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage for the period 2026-2030. Saudi Arabia's support is considered important to strengthen Indonesia's position in the governance of world cultural heritage.
At the technical level, Indonesia encourages the extension of the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, especially on the elements of Arabic Calligraphy, as well as exploring other elements that are relevant for both countries such as Majlis and Date Palm. The Saudi Arabian side expressed openness and will follow up on the proposal through a diplomatic note.
In addition, the two countries are beginning to explore cooperation in the cultural industry, including opportunities for joint film production and festivals through the Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah and the Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival in Yogyakarta.
"We are very pleased with the presence of His Majesty, we hope that cooperation between the two countries in the field of culture can continue to be strengthened and provide great benefits for the cultural ecosystem in both countries," said Menbud Fadli.