Statement of President of the Republic of Indonesia before Kicking off State Visits to the Middle East and Türkiye, at the Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base, Jakarta, Wednesday, April 9, 2025
Bismillahirrahmanirrahim
Assalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.
Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen,
May peace be upon us all,
Shalom,
Salve,
Om Swastiastu,
Namo Buddhaya,
Greetings of virtue.
Esteemed fellow citizens and compatriots, wherever you may be;
Honorable members of the media, to whom I extend my utmost respect.
Thank you for being here so late in the evening, it’s already morning, isn’t it? We are already gathered early in the morning,
I, along with limited delegates, will soon depart. Several ministers have departed ahead of me and will meet me at various locations.
Firstly, I will visit Abu Dhabi, the UAE, to meet UAE President, His Highness Mohammed bin Zayed, to have a consultation and discuss the recent world geopolitics and geoeconomics.
From Abu Dhabi, I will visit Ankara for a state visit and a return visit to President of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdoğan who paid visit to Indonesia months ago. He invited me to a diplomatic forum to be held in Anadolu. Anadolu, isn’t it? Antalya, the Antalya (Diplomacy Forum). In Antalya, I will have a consultation with President Erdoğan about some issues including geopolitics and geoeconomics, industrial and trade cooperation, also education and culture. We have strong and comprehensive relations with Türkiye
From Türkiye, I am slated to head for Cairo, Egypt the next day on the 12th, to meet President Sisi.
Afterwards, I will depart for Doha, Qatar to have a state visit and to settle some agreements between Qatar and Indonesia, also to sign some strategic agreements and consensuses between the two countries.
From Qatar, I will depart for Jordan for a state visit and again, to have a consultation with King Abdullah II.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The call is based on aspiration to play more active roles in assisting and encouraging conflict resolutions in Gaza and the Middle East region, in general. Although geographically Indonesia is located far from the center of conflicts, as a country which is dubbed as the largest muslim populated country in the world and also part of Non-Aligned Movement, as well as is known for its free and active foreign policy and for not aligning with any particular bloc, Indonesia is seen as a party that can be accepted by various groups, including all conflicting parties. This position means we bear responsibilities. Let me reiterate that Indonesia is ready to play active roles if related parties call for it. We will take part in accordance with our capacity and capability.
I want to emphasize that I have long made this clear, and under President Joko Widodo’s administration, he also has firmly said that Indonesia is ready to send humanitarian aids to Gaza. We have also deployed medical team who has been working under very dangerous conditions in Gaza. The hospital where our team is working is frequently under fire. I would like to express my appreciation to our military medical personnel from the TNI Health Unit who are serving there.
Indonesia is also ready to shelter wounded victims. We will soon send Minister of Foreign Affairs to discuss with Palestinian Government and related sides in that area on mechanism to evacuate the victims, orphans, and conflict-affected citizens. If they want to be evacuated to Indonesia, we are ready to send aircraft to bring them here. We estimate that the number will be around 1,000 people in the first wave.
It will be materialized if all sides give approval. They will be here temporarily, only until they have fully recovered from their injuries. They will return when they have fully recovered or the situation in Gaza is safe. That is the concrete action of the Government of Indonesia. Thus, I need to consult with the leaders in the region.
We have received envoys, phone calls, asking Indonesia’s preparedness to help, seek, and promote conflict resolution in Gaza. It is a challenging task but we have unwavering commitment to supporting Palestinian independence and playing more active roles.
I guess that is all from me.
Once again, I would like to take this opportunity to welcome everyone back from the Eid al-Fitr holiday, and wish you all the best as you return to work. I also want to express my sincere gratitude to everyone who has worked tirelessly to ensure that the holy month of Ramadan, this year’s homecoming season (mudik), and celebration of Eid al-Fitr went smoothly, peacefully, and safely for all of us.
That concludes my remarks.
I thank you.
Wassalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,
May peace be upon us all,
Om santi santi santi om,
Shalom,
Good evening.
Thank you.
Let me correct that.
Good morning.
Thank you.
That is all.
(RAS/MMB)