Erdogan Says Turkey Committed to Partake in IKN Construction

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Recep Tayyip said Turkey wants to partake in the development of Nusantara Capital City (IKN) by engaging Turkish infrastructure companies.

Erdogan made this statement during a bilateral meeting with President Prabowo Subianto at the Bogor Presidential Palace, Bogor, West Java, on February 12, 2025.

"We are also committed to participating in the New Capital City project by involving our world-class construction companies," Erdogan said in a joint statement.

Erdogan sees the importance of expanding the cooperation between both countries in various fields, ranging from agriculture to the halal industry.

During this meeting, Indonesia and Turkey signed 12 agreements, including in the fields of religion and education, energy and mineral resources, technology and higher education, healthcare and medicine, defense industry, trade, investment, industrial cooperation committee, agriculture, television broadcasting institutions, radio broadcasting institutions, and news agency cooperation agreements.

Meanwhile, Prabowo felt honored to welcome President Erdogan and his entourage, as it coincided with 75 years of diplomatic relations between Indonesia and Turkey.

According to Prabowo, Indonesia and Turkey have a spiritual and emotional relationship that has been established for hundreds of years since the Ottoman Empire.

"Today, President Erdogan and I held the first High-Level Strategic Council meeting. This is the highest bilateral relationship mechanism between the two countries," he said.

Prabowo stated that Indonesia and Turkey have agreed to boost trade between the two countries and expedite the finalization of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).

The fate of the IKN development has become increasingly unclear after the budget for the new capital city was blocked, citing efficiency. The issue first came to light after the Minister of Public Works, Dody Hanggodo, mentioned there was no budget realized for the new capital city project in 2025.

Currently, he is in the process of finalizing the ministry budget, which has been cut to Rp 29.57 trillion as a result of efficiency directives from President Prabowo.

"All infrastructure budgets have been blocked," Dody said after a meeting with the House of Representatives Commission V at the Senayan Parliament Complex on Thursday, February 6, 2024. "The progress is only for the minister's lunch."

When contacted on Thursday, February 6, 2025, IKN Spokesperson stated that the development of the new capital city is still ongoing. He mentioned that the IKN Authority continues to carry out the construction according to Prabowo's directives.

"The rumor about Prabowo stopping the IKN is not true. As per the President's instructions, the focus is on completing the construction of the legislative and judicial offices and their supporting ecosystem," said Troy.

Riri Rahayu contributed to the writing of this article.

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