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Indonesia steps up nuclear diplomacy after securing IAEA board seat
As this year’s ASEAN chair, Jakarta has attempted to soothe the restless region by persuading NWSs to accede to the protocol of the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone Treaty (SEANWFZ), a pact seeking to keep the region free from nuclear weapons.
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The logo of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is pictured on a glass door in the agency's building during a Board of Governors meeting at the agency's headquarters in Vienna, Austria, on Sept. 11, 2023. (AFP/Alex Halada)
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s geopolitical tensions brew in its vicinity, Indonesia has continued to intensify its nuclear diplomacy throughout the week by securing a membership position at the United Nations nuclear watchdog and asserting its nuclear non-proliferation stance at the multilateral organization headquarters.
Indonesia was unanimously elected to represent the Southeast Asia and Pacific region on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors through 2023 to 2025. The country will join other board members including Algeria, Burkina Faso, South Korea, Bangladesh, the Netherlands and Spain.
The new position, which will allow Jakarta to submit recommendations on future IAEA programs and approve nuclear-related safeguard guidelines, came as Indonesia continues to struggle to convince major powers to keep Southeast Asia clear off nuclear weapons.
“[Indonesia] will continue to play an active role in encouraging the development of nuclear technology for peaceful purposes,” said Damos Dumoli Agusman, Indonesia’s representative to the IAEA, in a statement on Thursday.
“[We] will continue to play an active role and support the IAEA’s role in carrying out its mandate regarding the issue of nuclear security, safety and safeguards amid the quite complicated geopolitical and security situation,” he added.
The Board of Governors is one of the two IAEA policy-making bodies that meets five times a year. The next board meeting is scheduled for November, likely to discuss about the categorization of nuclear-powered submarine, said Foreign Ministry multilateral cooperation director general Tri Tharyat on Friday.
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