Prabowo Highlights Double Standards in International Law: Small Countries Intimidated

JAKARTA - Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto highlighted the double standards applied to international law while attending the BRICS Leaders Virtual Meeting online on Monday evening, September 8.

According to a video clip from the conference, President Prabowo expressed his support for close cooperation, as conveyed by Chinese President Xi Jinping, who had spoken earlier.

"I fully support the concepts conveyed by the esteemed President of the People's Republic of China. We must uphold openness, we must continue this close coordination and cooperation in a world full of uncertainty, with double, even triple, standards, where international law is ignored every day," President Prabowo said in a video broadcast of the BRICS Leaders Virtual Meeting on the Presidential Secretariat's YouTube account, as quoted by ANTARA, Tuesday, September 9.

According to the President, BRICS member countries must continue their cooperation amidst a world full of uncertainty.

Prabowo said the practice of double standards is increasingly appearing on the global stage.

The Head of State assessed that the current global situation shows that large and powerful countries have rights and authority, while smaller countries are intimidated.

"International law is ignored every day, with powerful countries asserting their authority, while smaller countries with less power are intimidated, threatened, and bullied. Trade and finance are used as weapons," said Prabowo.

Therefore, Prabowo stated that it is time for BRICS to continue developing. Indonesia fully supports the initiative.

"We appreciate the leadership of President (Brazil) Lula, and Indonesia is committed to working more closely with all BRICS countries," said Prabowo.

The meeting was attended by several Heads of State and high-level representatives, including Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Then, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, United Arab Emirates Crown Prince Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed, Ethiopian Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos, and Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar presented their views.

Brazilian President Lula da Silva opened the virtual meeting by delivering his views. Chinese President Xi Jinping and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi then presented their views in second and third place.

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto then conveyed Indonesia's views and positions on a number of global issues in the fourth session.

The forum served as a platform for leaders to exchange views on global economic developments and the current state of the multilateral system. The geopolitical situation and global economic dynamics also influence the stability of international trade and the prospects for economic growth in various regions.