Beirut, MINA – Indonesian Ambassador to Lebanon Hajriyanto Y. Thohari said that Indonesia and Lebanon have a history of very close relations in various fields.
Historically, Lebanon is the first three countries who recognized Indonesia’s sovereignty after Egypt and Syria.
“Lebanon also always supports Indonesia in various international and multilateral forums,” said Ambassador Hajriyanto in an exclusive online interview with the MINA team on Friday night.
In addition, there are a number of 1,234 personnel of the Garuda Contingent of UN peacekeepers in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and are currently the largest troops compared to other countries. For years, Garuda troops have been trusted as UNIFIL peacekeepers.
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So far, many Indonesian officials have visited Lebanon, starting from the Chairman of the MPR, the Speaker of the DPR, the Coordinating Minister, the Minister, to the Army Commander.
“However, no high-ranking Lebanese official has ever visited Indonesia, because of the internal situation in Lebanon,” he said.
Even so, Ambassador Hajriyanto conveyed that the relationship between the Indonesian and Lebanese people was even closer.
Many Indonesian figures and non-governmental organizations often visit Lebanon to provide humanitarian assistance to Palestinian and Syrian refugees.
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In addition, there were nearly 100 Indonesian students studying in Lebanon before the crisis. As many as 90 percent of them studied religious knowledge, considering that only the department was awarded scholarships. (L/RE1)
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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