Jakarta. Armenia is nudging Indonesia into opening an embassy in its capital Yerevan as the two nations explore ways to strengthen bilateral relations, according to House of Representatives member Fadli Zon.

Indonesia today does not have an embassy in Armenia but maintains relations via its embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine. 

Fadli, who chairs the House’s Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation Body, on Tuesday hosted Armenian delegates in his office in Jakarta. Hakobyan Hasmik, the head of the Armenia-Indonesia Friendship Group -- namely a group under the Yerevan national assembly that focuses on bilateral parliamentary diplomacy -- was present at the meeting. Armenian Ambassador to Indonesia Serob Bejanyan also joined Hasmik in the talks.

“Armenia already has an embassy in Indonesia so they are hoping that Indonesia can do the same. Today, our embassy in Kyiv is in charge of all diplomatic matters related to Armenia,” Fadli told reporters in Jakarta shortly after the meeting.

Inter-parliamentary partnership was high on the agenda during the meeting. 

The recent 44th ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) in Jakarta granted observer status to Armenia, along with Turkiye and Cuba. The observer status allows Armenia to attend and make statements at the forum’s first plenary session.

According to Fadli, the Armenian parliamentary also seeks to work bilaterally with its Indonesian counterpart.

“They have set up a group aimed to spur bilateral parliamentary ties with Indonesia, [namely the Armenia-Indonesia Friendship Group], while we do not have any. … We will likely establish this group in the next term,” Fadli said.

Government data shows Armenia-Indonesia trade totaled $3.8 million in 2022, marking an increase from $3 million posted the previous year. Bilateral trade already reached $3.6 million as of January-July 2023.

Read More: Mercosur-Indonesia Trade Pact Talks Delayed as Bloc’s Deal with EU Stalls

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