Indonesia Asked ASEAN Countries To Discuss Solutions To Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine At The 144th APG IPU

BALI - The chairman of the DPR's Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation Agency (BKSAP), Fadli Zon, said that Indonesia was asked to discuss Russia's conflict with Ukraine in the Asia Pacific Group (APG) forum.

The request to Indonesia came from ASEAN member countries of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and three other countries (ASEAN+3).

"This is new in the ASEAN cluster, it was agreed that this afternoon we will bring it to the Asian Pacific Group, today we also listed a list of urgent problems, earlier it was agreed that we were members of the drafting committee for this resolution," he said, when met after attending the ASEAN meeting. +3 at BICC Nusa Dua, Bali, Sunday 20 March.

The ASEAN+3 meeting is an activity outside the main series of the 144th IPU Session which will take place at the Bali International Convention Center, Nusa Dua, on 20–24 March 2022.

From the ASEAN group, the countries that are members of the IPU are Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam, while at the ASEAN+3 meeting which took place at BICC, Sunday, three other countries, namely South Korea, China, and Japan.

The Indonesian delegation at the meeting was represented by two members of the DPR, namely the Chairman of the BKSAP, Fadli Zon, and the Deputy Speaker of the DPR, Lodewijk Freidrich Paulus. In the ASEAN+3 meeting led by a delegation from the Asian Parliamentary Assembly, the Indonesian delegation wanted a solution to the conflict.

"This is not a simple matter, (it is) quite complex. There are historical, cultural, economic backgrounds, although we must also respect territorial integrity. In my opinion, this must be brought up, looking for a solution, because if you only corner one of the parties, it will only cause bigger problems," he said, quoted from Antara.

He continued to convey that the current conflict has caused waves of refugees, many civilians are suffering and their safety is being threatened. “So, we hope to find a solution and stop this conflict. This is where the role of parliament for diplomacy is needed," he said.

However, the delegations from Russia and Ukraine - both of which are members of the IPU - were absent or not present at this year's IPU session. This absence did not dampen the commitment of IPU member countries to continue discussing the resolution of conflicts in Russia and Ukraine.