A low-profile diplomatic meeting in Jakarta this month offered an instructive glimpse into how Indonesia is refining its engagement with North Africa and the wider Middle East. The Second Indonesia–Libya Joint Committee Meeting, held on 15 December 2025, did not produce dramatic announcements or sweeping pledges. Instead, it reflected a carefully calibrated effort by both countries to rebuild momentum after years of regional instability — and to do so in ways that align with Indonesia’s broader approach to the MENA region.

The session brought together delegations led by Indonesia’s vice minister for foreign affairs, Anis Matta, and Libya’s vice minister for foreign affairs and international cooperation for migration and overseas citizens, Mohamed Saeed Zidan. Officials from relevant ministries on both sides reviewed the state of bilateral relations and identified priority areas for cooperation, including trade, investment, political and diplomatic coordination, health, and technical and vocational education. These sectors are familiar pillars of Indonesia’s Middle East diplomacy, chosen less for political symbolism than for their potential to deliver gradual, practical gains.

One of the meeting’s more concrete outcomes was the initialing of a memorandum of understanding between the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry........

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