Greece and
Indonesia established diplomatic relations on 23 February 1958.[1] The two nations have enjoyed good relations ever since. Greece has an embassy in
Jakarta, while Indonesia has an embassy in
Athens. Greece and Indonesia share some similarities; both are democracies, archipelagic nations, as well as possessing notable archaeological sites. Therefore, cooperations in politics, maritime transportation and shipping, culture and tourism have potential to be explored.[2]
History
The ancient Greek writer
Ptolemy, described many places including places in Indonesia like the Barousai (
Ancient Greek: Βαροῦσαι) and Yabadiou or Sabadiou (
Ancient Greek: Ιαβαδίου or Σαβαδίου), which researchers identify respectively as
Barus in Northern
Sumatra[3] and
Java.[4][5]
The diplomatic relations between Greece and Indonesia was established in 1960, however it was not until the 1990s that both nations finally established resident ambassadors and embassies in each respective countries. The embassy of Indonesia in
Athens was opened since 1994,[6] while the embassy of Greece in
Jakarta was opened in 1997.[7] A few dozen Greeks reside in Indonesia, mostly in Jakarta and
Bali, with most of them being freelance professionals.
During the
COVID-19 pandemic, Greece donated more than 700,000 vaccines to Indonesia.[8]
Cooperations
Greek and Indonesian governments signed numbers of cooperations and agreements, such as air service agreement.[9][10] Both nations also has agreed to establish cooperations in maritime and tourism sectors, which includes shipping merchant and cruise tourism.[11]
