By The Diplomat | Created at 2026-07-29 20:02:12 | Updated at 2026-08-03 20:44:28
5 days ago
Last month, Madagascar’s Foreign Minister Alice N’Diaye made an official working visit to Indonesia, her first trip to the country.
During her visit, the two nations announced the establishment of a Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation which aims to deepen and drive their strategic and economic partnership. They also announced the granting of mutual visa exemptions for service and diplomatic passport holders.
Following his meeting with N’Diaye, Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono called for the two nations to strengthen their economic ties and remove travel barriers.
“Madagascar has a very strategic geographical position, which also serves as a gateway to Africa,” he stated, as per Indonesian news agency Antara, noting that “they possess natural resources, especially minerals needed for industry and advanced technology.”
The two ministers further pledged to broaden bilateral economic and trade cooperation in the areas of the blue economy, agriculture, renewable energy, fisheries and tourism.
Madagascar also announced its intention to open its first diplomatic mission in Indonesia, which would also be its first in Southeast Asia, although no specific timeframe has been given. During the meeting, Sugiono expressed optimism that the embassy opening could give Madagascar the means to engage more closely with ASEAN member states. N’Diaye described Indonesia as a crucial partner in “anchoring Madagascar to wider international economic dynamics.”
Indonesia surprisingly has a lot in common with Madagascar, the largest island in both Africa and the Indian Ocean. Both nations are full members of the Indian Ocean Rim Association and Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). The two countries also share a common Austronesian identity. Madagascar was first settled during or before the mid-first millennium by Austronesian peoples, who sailed across the Indian Ocean from what is today the Indonesian archipelago. Today, the Malagasy peoples, an Austronesian-speaking ethnic group, make up the overwhelming majority of Madagascar’s population and speak a language with a common ancestry to modern Indonesian.
Despite the ethnolinguistic links between the two countries, however, contemporary bilateral relations until now have been very much underdeveloped.
Nonetheless, N’Diaye’s recent visit to Jakarta demonstrates the potential benefits for Indonesia of strengthening its bilateral strategic and economic ties with its distant African cousin.
Traditionally, Indonesia’s principal geostrategic focus has been its natural leadership of ASEAN. But Jakarta is also an Indian Ocean nation and has a strong legacy of leadership in the Global South. Indonesia hosted the historic 1955 Asian African conference in Bandung, which subsequently laid the foundations for the formation of the NAM in the early 1960s. President Prabowo Subianto has said that during his presidency, “there will be a special focus on Africa.”
Indeed, Madagascar could become an increasingly important partner for Indonesia in the years to come. Major shipping corridors like the Mozambique Channel and Cape Sainte Marie are located close to Madagascar, connecting Africa and Asia. The ongoing Red Sea crisis and Iran war has forced many ships to reroute around Africa’s southern tip through sea lanes near Madagascar. Therefore, the security of the maritime trade routes near Madagascar could become an issue of increasing interest for Jakarta.
There are also good reasons for Indonesia to deepen its defense ties with Madagascar, particularly in maritime security cooperation. Indonesia could help increase the small Madagascar navy’s at sea security capabilities by running regular bilateral maritime patrols, holding annual joint military exercises, and port visits. This could empower both nations to address shared border security threats including illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, transnational crime, and piracy.
In 2022, then Madagascar Defense Minister Richard Rakotonirina met with Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, Indonesia’s then coordinating minister of maritime and investment affairs in Bali. During the meeting, Rakotonirina said that Indonesia’s leadership was “important in maintaining the security of the maritime area in the Indo-Pacific, especially in the Indian Ocean.” Luhut explained that Indonesia was committed to “protect the Indian Ocean as a joint strategic area,” although did not explain how this would work in practice.
Madagascar is a hotspot for IUU fishing, and the country is struggling to curb illegal fishing vessels from entering its waters and exclusive economic zone. The country is currently losing an estimated $80 million a year from IUU fishing, which is also threatening the livelihoods of an estimated 1,250 fishing communities along Madagascar’s coasts.
Earlier this year, as part of its naval diplomacy efforts in Africa, the Indonesian Navy’s new frigate KRI Prabu Siliwangi made port visits to Nigeria, South Africa, and Mauritius. Marcellus Hakeng Jayawibawa, an analyst at the National Resilience Institute of Indonesia said that the visits were a clear indication that the Indonesian Navy was transforming from a “traditionally defensive maritime force to an actor capable of power projection.”
The Madagascar and Indonesian militaries could also ensure both have reciprocal access to their respective military training areas. The training would be particularly beneficial for Madagascar’s defense forces, especially those stationed along the coastal and maritime areas of their country. Indonesia could provide Madagascar defense cadets with greater access to military education programs in Indonesia, building on limited past initiatives. (Rakotonirina is fluent in Bahasa Indonesia and is a graduate of the Indonesian military academy.)
On an economic and multilateral level, Indonesia could bring Madagascar closer to ASEAN. It can do this by advocating for Madagascar to become a dialogue partner of the 11-nation bloc, and joining the list of nations that participate in ASEAN-led mechanisms, including the ASEAN Regional Forum and the East Asia Summit.
Indonesia is set to reach new heights of economic growth and confidence in the coming years. It is predicted to become the fourth-largest economy in the world by 2050. This will likely make it a more active player in the Indian Ocean and Africa. Ultimately, through a more substantial relationship with Madagascar, its distant relation, Indonesia could begin to exert some of its growing economic and military clout in Africa and the Indian Ocean.
