ASEAN Beat | Diplomacy | Southeast Asia

Indonesia Eyes Closer Relations With Madagascar

A recent bilateral exchange hinted that Jakarta is taking a greater interest in its Austronesian cousin on the other side of the Indian Ocean.

Madagascar’s Foreign Minister Alice N’Diaye shakes hands with Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono during here visit to Jakarta, Indonesia, June 3, 2026.

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........

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