Turkey joins ASEAN's top table, and Indonesia is its closest arms partner

Turkey became ASEAN's 12th dialogue partner on 21 July, the first country from the Middle East to reach that rank. Dialogue partner is the status that gives an outside country a regular seat with ASEAN's ministers, and the group had kept that door closed since 2021. Sharon Seah and Ian Storey of the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore write in Fulcrum that the trade behind the title is thin. Two-way trade between ASEAN and Turkey grew from US$6.5 billion in 2010 to US$16.1 billion in 2025, still less than ASEAN's trade with Russia, one of the region's smallest partners.

What fills the gap is weapons, and Indonesia has gone further with Turkey than any other country in the region. It has taken Turkish tanks, put Turkish drones into service, signed in 2025 for two frigates (warships built to escort and patrol), and became the first foreign buyer of the Kaan, Turkey's new fighter jet, with an order for 48.

The caution from the two authors is about what Ankara can actually deliver. The Kaan flies on American engines, and Turkey's own engine is not due before 2032, so an Indonesian order stays exposed to decisions made in Washington. Turkish arms makers also work with supply bottlenecks and sell against much bigger rivals in South Korea, Europe and the United States. Seah and Storey add that the partnership itself is still mostly a title: Turkey and ASEAN have held seven ministerial meetings in all, and some member states think the group is opening its door too easily.

Why it matters

Indonesia has committed to 48 jets that do not exist yet, and the payments fall on a defence budget at a time when other public spending is being squeezed. If you follow how your taxes are spent, the things to watch are a firm delivery date for the first aircraft and the payment schedule in next year's budget. Buying away from the usual Western suppliers widens Indonesia's options only if the important parts are Turkish too, and while the engine is American, the old dependence is still there under a new name.