Indonesia–Papua New Guinea relations
Indonesia–Papua New Guinea relations are foreign relations between Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. The relationship between the two countries has existed for a long time, even before Papua New Guinea's independence, when it was still under Australian control. The Indonesian and Australian governments collaborated to establish a boundary line for Indonesia and British New Guinea in the early 1970s.
For Indonesia, Papua New Guinea is an important country, one of three countries sharing a land border with Indonesia. The two countries share an border that has raised tensions and ongoing diplomatic issues over many decades.
Indonesia is represented in Papua New Guinea with an embassy in Port Moresby and a consulate in Vanimo, while Papua New Guinea is represented in Indonesia with an embassy in Jakarta and a consulate-general in Jayapura. Both nations are members of APEC, Non-Aligned Movement and the United Nations.
History
Indonesia was one of the first eight countries to recognize Papua New Guinea's independence on 16 September 1975.The Indonesian government began the decolonization process in West Papua, a former Dutch colony, in 1963, and international recognition was granted in 1969 following the Act of Free Choice, a controversial referendum, with a voter turnout less than the local population. The Free Papua Movement was founded in response, aiming to achieve independence from Indonesia. The movement began an armed struggle primarily against the Indonesian Army. The Indonesian government's crackdown on the rebellion in West Papua has led to extensive and ongoing border issues resulting in a prolonged refugee presence and constant movement between Papua and Papua New Guinea.
For Papua New Guinea, the conflict presents two stark choices: solidarity among fellow Melanesian tribes or maintaining good relations with Indonesia, its closest neighbor across the border.The first visit to Indonesia by Papua New Guinean Prime Minister Michael Somare and President Suharto in 1977 focused on security and economic cooperation, as well as a desire to establish a joint defense communique. In 1979, President Suharto visited Papua New Guinea for the first time to finalize the points of a defense agreement. President Suharto successfully convinced Papua New Guineans to strengthen cooperation for mutual prosperity. The massive Indonesian military offensive in Papua, Operation Jayapura, weakened the OPM movement, causing many to flee to the Papua New Guinea border. The Papua New Guinean military culminated in the capture of OPM leaders Jacob Prai and John Ondawame, who took refuge in PNG.
Entering the 1980s, the OPM movement weakened following Indonesia's massive military operation in Jayapura and also due to internal strife within the OPM leadership. According to Kopkamtib, remnants of the OPM movement remained and were hiding around the border with PNG. The Indonesian military launched a new military operation, Operation Clean Sweap, to hunt down OPM movements on the PNG border.
During a visit to Jakarta, Papua New Guinea's Foreign Minister, Rabbie Namaliu, protested the Indonesian military's border violations, which triggered a mass exodus of West Papuans to Papua New Guinea. The two governments agreed to resolve the border crisis by updating the 1979 security agreement with a more comprehensive and comprehensive agreement covering refugees, borders, defense and security, and respect for the territorial integrity of both regions. The agreement is called the which was signed on October 27, 1986. In the agreement, both countries agreed to "avoid, reduce and limit disputes or conflicts between their countries and respect the territorial integrity of both countries and resolve any differences that may arise only by peaceful means".