Not Only The United States, Dino Patti Djalal Asks Indonesia To Be Brave To Russia

JAKARTA - Founder and Chairman of the Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia (FPCI) Dino Patti Djalal assessed that Indonesia must dare to be critical of Russia regarding the country's invasion of Ukraine.

"The principle of being free and active actually means, even with friends, we must still be honest and critical if he does something that is dangerous to the international community," said Dino in a written statement in Jakarta, Antara, Thursday, May 19.

Despite the harmonious relationship between Indonesia and Russia, he believes the Indonesian government needs to be honest and open in communicating with Moscow.

"If we are with the United States, we are fierce. But with Moscow, we're still a bit reluctant to be fierce. So free and active is still limited. I just saw that it turns out that we are free and active, we are still a little picky. Should be consistent. With everyone, we must be brave if necessary, but remain friendly," he said.

Regarding the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Dino appreciated the de-escalation efforts shown by the Indonesian government, including verbally inviting Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to attend the G20 meeting in Bali on November 15-16, 2022.

However, Dino believes that Indonesia can actually do more to reduce tensions between Russia and Ukraine and put the brakes on the escalation of the war between the two countries.

“My fantasy is that when I return from the United States (for the ASEAN-US Summit in Washington DC on May 12-13, 2022), President Jokowi should stop by in Kiev to meet President Zelenskyy. After that stop in Moscow to meet President Putin. President Jokowi will definitely be accepted. This is my fantasy. Enter Kiev and look for loopholes to reduce the gap between Ukraine and Russia," he said.

The former deputy foreign minister of the Republic of Indonesia hoped that Indonesia would not focus on how to achieve domestic interests solely through the G20 forum, but as a leader of the G20, Indonesia must show its contribution in solving global problems, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

“We have a big and heavy responsibility because right now the world is in chaos. Although it must be implemented, as G20 leaders, we must be able to see the problem globally. In a sense, what is disturbing the world economy and how to solve it," he said.