Bunyan Saptomo: Strategic Studies on Islam in Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe

Jakarta, MINA – Bunyan Saptomo, Chairman of the Central MUI Foreign Relations Commission (KHLN), said the need for strategic studies on the development of Islam in Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe.

“We need to pay attention to the condition of Muslims in the Philippines and Myanmar who are our close neighbors and are strategically very important for Indonesia,” he said, when interviewed by MINA, in Jakarta on Saturday.

According to him, regular strategic studies, both through discussions and webinars, are important as part of the people’s struggle to pay attention to the fate of fellow Muslims.

“Meanwhile, it is also interesting to observe the condition of Muslims in Eastern Europe, especially Russia and the Balkans, such as Bosnia, Kosovo and North Macedonia,” said Bunyan, who had served as Indonesian Ambassador to Bulgaria and Albania.

According to him, Muslims in Eastern Europe are quite developed, especially in several countries that were once part of the Ottoman Empire and parts of the former Soviet Union.

He also appreciated the state visit of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to Indonesia, which could strengthen the Indonesia-Malaysia bilateral partnership.

“The Indonesia-Malaysia partnership is important for the interests of ASEAN, especially the settlement of Rohingya Muslims and regional stability,” he continued.

He also proposed an Indonesia-Malaysia partnership to further strengthen the role of the Islamic Cooperation Organization (OIC), for the benefit of the Islamic world.

He also hopes that in the future after Anwar Ibrahim’s resignation as Prime Minister, he can be nominated as Secretary General of ASEAN or Secretary General of the OIC considering his quality as an international figure. (T/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)