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RI highlights terrorism at G20 meeting

Bilateral talks: Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi meets Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok on the sidleines of the G20 foreign ministers conference in Buenos Aires on Sunday

Dian Septiari (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Tue, May 22, 2018

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RI highlights terrorism at G20 meeting

B

ilateral talks: Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi meets Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok on the sidleines of the G20 foreign ministers conference in Buenos Aires on Sunday. (Courtesy of Foreign Ministry Office)

Indonesia has called on the world’s largest economies to do more to fight terrorism following a string of terrorist attacks in many places in Indonesia in the past few weeks.

“The G20 should show leadership and make concrete contributions to fighting terrorism in order to safeguard world peace and security,” Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi said in a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry on Monday. The call was made by Retno during the G20 Meeting of Foreign Ministers, which began with a working dinner on Sunday evening at the San Martín Palace in Buenos Aires. Argentine President Mauricio Macri hosted the dinner as part of Argentina’s presidency of the G20 in 2018.

During the dinner, which had no defined agenda and allowed diners to put on the table whatever issues mattered most to them, Retno said the terrorism threat was still high and very real, citing Indonesia, which had just experienced a series of attacks, as an example. A number of incidents since May 8, including a prison riot, church bombings and attacks against police offices, killed at least 19 people, including seven police officers, and injured nearly 60. The Islamic State (IS) movement claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Retno said the terrorist attacks in Surabaya, East Java, were particularly concerning because they involved all the members of a family, including children. Retno invited the G20 member countries to strengthen global cooperation for countering terrorism.

“Through the 2017 Hamburg Leaders’ Statement on Countering Terrorism, the G20 should play a strategic role in this area,” she said.

Indonesia was not the only country bringing up the issue of terrorism as France was also planning to make counterterrorism one of its key issues, as well as the fight against climate change and the implementation of the Paris Agreement, as reported by Agence France-Presse.

The agenda on Monday covered various issues involving global governance. Participants were to work on the three priorities chosen by Argentina — the future of work, infrastructure for development and a sustainable food future -- while always ensuring gender equality, the organizer said in a statement.

On Monday, Retno chaired a meeting of MIKTA, the group consisting of Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea, Turkey and Australia.

She said on her official Twitter account @menlu_RI that Indonesia asked other MIKTA members not to move their embassies to Jerusalem, among other things.

On Sunday, Retno met Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok to discuss efforts to strengthen cooperation in education and counterterrorism. Retno also met with United States Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan to discuss a number of topics, including their countries’ positions on the status of Jerusalem.

Before going to Buenos Aires, Retno visited Guyana on Friday, the first visit by an Indonesian foreign minister since diplomatic ties were established in 1999.

In a meeting with Guyanese President David Arthur Granger, Retno said while the value of trade between them had increased in the last three years, the figure was still small: US$2.7 million in 2017, an increase of some 17 percent from 2016’s figure.

Meanwhile, in a meeting with her Guyanese counterpart Carl Greenidge, Retno said they had agreed to improve technical cooperation, including on diplomatic education, good governance and various scholarships for students.

The two ministers agreed on a visa-free agreement for holders of diplomatic and service passports.

Retno also met the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretary-General Irwin Larocque to discuss efforts to improve cooperation between Indonesia and CARICOM member countries and ASEAN-CARICOM cooperation.

Retno added that Indonesia, being an archipelagic country, understood the development challenges faced by Caribbean countries.

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