REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Indonesia Vice President KH Ma'ruf Amin hopes that Asian-African countries continue to call for peace and a cessation of war because the geopolitical conditions of the world are currently heating up in a number of regions. This was stated by Kiai Ma'ruf while attending the 61st annual session of the Asian-African Legal Consultative Organization (AALCO) in Bali, Monday (16/10/2023).
Kiai Ma'ruf specifically alluded to Israeli attacks on Palestinians that need to be a major concern. “The Palestinian issue, I think, is a part of the concern of the countries of Asia and Africa. For that reason, we want, and I also want later this conference to declare that the war should stop immediately because it concerns a humanitarian issue,” Kiai Ma'ruf said in a press statement on Monday.
Kiai Ma'ruf insists that Israel's incursion into Palestine is a form of war that must be stopped. There were more than 2.800 people killed as a result of the attack. He insisted that Indonesia has always consistently pushed for Israeli-Palestinian peace in accordance with the agreement of the UN two state solution.
“I guess today more than 4 thousand people were killed, therefore, this must be stopped immediately, I guess Indonesia's stance all this time is clear which has always built peace not only in Asia-Africa but also in the world,” he said.
In his speech, Kiai Ma'ruf called this conflict not only disrupting regional stability but also potentially creating multidimensional crises in many countries. Therefore, Indonesia with its ideals participates in the implementation of world order, continues to strive to play a role in international forums to achieve world peace.
He encouraged the AALCO forums to continue to orient international law so that it always serves as a tool for the realization of peace and the protector of human rights.
The Vice President reiterated that achieving world peace was the main goal of a grand meeting of Asian and African countries in Bandung 68 years ago, which later became the initiator of the birth of AALCO. At that time, Asian and African nations met to discuss peace and how to play a role in building the world.
On that momentum, the Prime Minister said, this international forum is present to express the interests of countries in the Asia and Africa region within the framework of international politics. “AALCO was formed based on the spirit that international politics and law should reflect the views and interests of Asian and African nations,” he said.
The Vice President believes that all KAA and AALCO member states firmly hold the spirit and aspiration to achieve a peaceful, just and prosperous world order on a sustainable basis, while still providing space for common interests. “From Bali, let us together call for the immediate cessation of war and violence because it will only cause suffering to humanity and a setback to hard-won development,” the Prime Minister said.
On this occasion, the Prime Minister invites the international world to join hands to deploy existing capabilities to face global challenges for the realization of better sustainability. The diverse challenges facing the entire nation today, demand cooperation, creativity, and innovation. “All of it will just spring and bloom in an atmosphere of peace, not in an atmosphere of fear and hatred,” he said.
The Prime Minister also stressed that for Indonesia, peace diplomacy and respect for the law will continue to be voiced, and hopes that this meeting will give birth to the latest ideas on international law that is in favor of world peace. “Hopefully this meeting in Bali will present AALCO's best contribution to the realization of a peaceful, just and prosperous world order, in which international law is its arbiter,” he said.