Were Not Alone in These Difficult Times, President Jokowi Says
President Jokowi visited quake-hit Palu, Central Sulawesi, Sunday (30/9). Photo by: BPMI Setpres
President Joko Jokowi Widodo said that King of Saudi Arabia Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud two days ago called the President and offered condolences following the quake and the tsunami that hit Palu and Donggala.
“(The King) expressed condolences over the quake and the tsunami in Central Sulawesi and offered assistance for Indonesia,” President Jokowi wrote in his Facebook account, adding that many other world leaders have also offered condolences and assistance for Indonesia.
Those world leaders, according to President Jokowi, are Russian President Vladimir Putin, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Singaporean President Halimah Yacob, United Arab Emirates President Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde, World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and many others.
“It gives a strong message that we are not alone in these difficult times,” President Jokowi wrote.
In the meantime, Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Wiranto said that President Jokowi has decided to receive assistance from other countries on post-quake relief in Palu and Donggala.
Wiranto added that there are 18 countries that have offered the assistance, including the United States, France, Czech, Switzerland, Norway, Hungary, Turkey, European Union, Australia, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand, Japan, India and China.
“The UNDP and the ASEAN have also offered help,” Wiranto said at the office of Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal and Security Affairs in Jakarta, Monday (1/10).
According to Wiranto, there are several reasons for receiving assistance from other countries, one of which is that Indonesia has established friendly relations and cooperation with many countries. In fact, Wiranto continued, President Jokowi’s visit to friendly countries is also in the framework of establishing and strengthening bilateral and multilateral relations to boost mutually beneficial relations with other countries.
“The assistance from other countries is the result of the Presidents visit to other countries which then led to solidarity among the countries. Surely we cannot decline the offer, Wiranto concluded. (ES) (RI/EP/Naster)
