Indonesian, Palestinian Foreign Affairs Ministers Hold Meeting in Amman

Indoneian FM Retno Marsudi shakes hands with Palestinian FM Riyad Al-Malki before their bilateral meeting in Amman.

Jakarta, MINA – – Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Retno Marsudi, held a bilateral meeting with her Palestinian counterpart, Riyad Al-Maliki, in Amman, Jordan, on Monday, Antara News rported.

Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Arrmanatha Nasir, noted in a statement received here on Tuesday that both foreign ministers on Monday evening discussed issues regarding Jerusalem and steps to be taken for the struggle for Palestinians` rights and independence.

“Minister Retno conveyed the strong commitment of the Indonesian people and government to continue supporting Palestine,” Nasir remarked.

During the meeting, Marsudi and Al-Maliki also discussed the result of the Arab League Meeting, held late Saturday, in which Arab foreign ministers urged the US to abandon its decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, saying the move would increase violence throughout the region.

The bilateral meeting was also aimed at discussing the preparations for the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit to be held in Istanbul on Dec 13.

Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, had earlier called on the foreign leaders on Saturday to shore up support ahead of a meeting of the OIC on Dec 13.

Prior to her meeting with Al-Maliki, Marsudi met Jordanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ayman Safadi in Amman earlier on Monday to discuss the required diplomatic move for supporting the struggle for Palestine’s independence.

“The US’ unilateral statement on the status of Jerusalem will not alter Indonesia’s strong commitment in its struggle for Palestine’s independence,” Marsudi stated.

Jordan plays a key role since its leader, King Abdullah, is the guardian and custodian of the holy sites in Jerusalem.

During the meeting, Marsudi conveyed that Indonesian President Joko Widodo has strongly condemned the US’ move in recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

Indonesia and the international community believe that the US` move will impair any hope of reviving the peace process in Palestine.

Marsudi also conveyed to Safadi that the international community should respect and maintain the status quo of Jerusalem in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the United Nations.

“We all have moral obligations to stop the injustice faced by the Palestinian people,” Marsudi stated.

Hence, Marsudi has invited Jordan to strengthen diplomacy, either bilateral or multilateral, to prevent other countries from following the US’ move. (T/RS5/RS1)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)