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Indonesia's ingrained interest in Syria
Most of the studies depict Indonesia’s interest and involvement in the Syrian conflict through the lens of counterterrorism, confronting radicalism and foreign fighters as well as addressing the issue of returnees.
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Smoke billows following Syrian government bombardments on Kafr Batna, in the besieged Eastern Ghouta region on the outskirts of the capital Damascus on Feb. 22, 2018. (Agence France -Presse/Amer Almohibany)
A
fter seven years, the conflict in Syria has remained unabated. The recent alleged chemical weapons attack by the Syrian army on civilians in the countryside of rebel-held Damascus has not only triggered an air strike by the United States and its allies but also tension between the US and Russia.
On April 7, a mortar rocket hit an empty building of the Malaysian Embassy in Damascus, which is next to the Indonesian Embassy. A mortar also struck a building next to the Indonesian Embassy in early 2015.
Since the early stages of the Syrian conflict in 2011, while most countries have closed their embassies in Damascus in a show of protest against the Syrian government, Indonesia has maintained its diplomatic mission there and even opened new consular offices in Latakia and Aleppo in 2012.
Thus, during the Syrian civil conflict, the Indonesian Embassy in Damascus is the only one among 132 Indonesian missions overseas that is playing three different roles at once: it is a mission with citizen services, a mission in a dangerous post and a mission to perform immediate repatriation of every Indonesian citizen in the country.
