78th anniversary of the independence of the Republic of Indonesia

On 10^th October of this year, the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Poland celebrated the 78th anniversary of Indonesia’s independence. The country established diplomatic relations with Poland on 19^th September 1955.

On the occasion of the anniversary of independence, the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Warsaw organised a reception. A pleasant surprise during the ceremony was the live performance of the national anthems of Poland and Indonesia on Indonesian folk instruments called angklung, with the personal participation of H.E. Ambassador Anita Lida Luhulima, who performed the national melodies together with the musicians.

The reception was opened by H.E. Ambassador Anita Lida Luhulima, who welcomed the numerous guests with the following speech:

I am honoured to welcome you this evening to commemorate the anniversary of Indonesia’s Independence Day, as well as to commemorate the Day of National Armed Forces, which have been the main guardian of our nation’s sovereignty and territorial integrity since Independence Day was declared on 17^th August 1945.

For 78 years, under the guidance of the Indonesian state philosophy, Pancasila – unity in diversity – the Indonesian archipelago, comprising 17,504 islands, over 700 different languages, more than 1,000 ethnic groups, 278 million people and home to the most populous Muslim country in the world, has continuously lived in harmony and peacefully upheld the values of democracy and respect for the rule of law.

Today, in the midst of current global challenges, our nation remains strong and stable politically and economically, with a strong commitment to harnessing the energy transition to achieve a green economy, digital transformation and driving sustainable development that seeks to protect Indonesia’s economic sovereignty in managing its natural resources.

Situated in the world’s most dynamic region between the Indian and Pacific Oceans, Indonesia is guided by an active and independent foreign policy, and with the Bandung Principles, an outcome of the 1955 Asia-Africa Bandung Conference, Indonesia has always played its part in ensuring peace and stability in the region and the world to be part of the solution to global challenges and promote the spirit of multilateralism.

In addition to economic issues, the Ambassador highlighted the Indonesian flag in her speech. Indeed, Poland and Indonesia share a similar flag colour – red and white. So is the course of our countries’ history. The Indonesian flag is called Sang Dwiwarna – the living person. The red colour represents the body and physical life, the white colour the soul and spiritual life. The colours of the flag refer to the medieval Majapahit Empire. It is more than 800 years old, but only became the official flag of Indonesia on 17^th August 1945.

After the speech of HE Ambassador Anita Lida Luhulima, the head of foreign services, Piotr Rychlik, took the floor. He began his speech by wishing everyone well, referring to the history of Indonesia regaining independence. He mentioned that eight years ago, Indonesia stood bravely in the fight for the fundamental rights of freedom and justice. He also emphasized the fact that, despite the considerable geographical distance, Poland and Indonesia historically shared faith in values that made it possible to build strong and friendly partnership ties. He then focused on economic cooperation between Poland and Indonesia. Over the past year, trade between countries has doubled, reaching USD 2.1 trillion in 2022. He expressed confidence that this positive trend will continue in the future and said that Poland supports the conclusion of negotiations between the European Union and Indonesia, which will bring tangible benefits to entrepreneurs from both regions and, in the future, will stimulate an even greater dynamic increase in bilateral exchange between our countries. He emphasized that Poland, as one of the largest food producers in the EU, is ready to protect food and increase further exports of food products. He expressed hope that the successful cooperation between our countries will also continue in the defence sector.

After the speeches, HE Ambassador Anita Lidy Luhulima and the head of foreign service Piotr Rychlik raised a toast to the 78th anniversary of the independence of the Republic of Indonesia. A nice addition to the ceremony was the cake, which, due to its large size, had to be “rolled” into the room and was then cut by the Ambassador, who personally served it to the guests. At the end of the evening, guests could also join in a flash mob, a traditional Indonesian Gemu Fa Mi Re dance from the Maumere area, East Nusa Tenggara. Performances of Indonesian national dances, beautiful music from original folk instruments, and Indonesian specialties completed this exceptionally nice evening.

Here are some facts about Indonesia:

• Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is an island country located in Southeast Asia and Oceania, whose capital is Jakarta.
• Indonesia is the largest island country in the world with approximately 17,000 islands and the fourth most populous country in the world. The most populated island in the world, Java, is home to over half of the country’s population.
• Indonesia is a regional power in Southeast Asia. Indonesia’s economy ranks 16th in the world in terms of nominal GDP and seventh in terms of GDP by purchasing power.
• Indonesia maintains close relations with its Asian neighbours and is a founding member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). It has been a member of the United Nations since 1950 and was a founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). Indonesia is a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and occasionally OPEC.
• Indonesia is the only Southeast Asian country that is a member of the G20.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Tellus in metus vulputate eu scelerisque felis imperdiet proin. Non blandit massa enim nec dui nunc mattis enim. Vestibulum rhoncus est pellentesque elit ullamcorper dignissim. Nulla porttitor massa id neque aliquam vestibulum. Odio euismod lacinia at quis risus sed vulputate odio. Laoreet sit amet cursus sit amet dictum. Elementum curabitur vitae nunc sed velit dignissim. Pulvinar elementum integer enim neque volutpat ac tincidunt vitae. Elementum integer enim neque volutpat ac tincidunt vitae semper quis. Leo vel orci porta non.