Jokowi Flies To Ukraine And Russia, Expert: Can Reduce The Impact Of War

Illustration HIMARS AS for Ukraine. (Wikimedia Commons/US Army/5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment/Capt. Angelo Mejia)

JAKARTA - International Political Economy expert from Gadjah Mada University Riza Noer Arfani assessed that President Joko Widodo's (Jokowi) visit to Ukraine and Russia was very strategic and could reduce the impact of the propagation of the conflict between the two countries.

"This visit is very strategic. But this is only the beginning. After the meeting was successful and resulted in a joint statement, it must be followed up with diplomatic steps through the G20 as the main channel," Riza said in a written statement, Sunday, June 26.

Riza assessed that Jokowi was not only visiting as Head of State, but also as the host of the 2022 G20. Therefore, matters relating to the interests of the economy and recovery from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic will be the main agenda.

Riza said that efforts for equitable economic recovery in every country were originally reflected in the theme of the Indonesian Presidency at the G20, namely Recover Together, Recover Stronger. For this reason, he believes that President Jokowi's visit will reduce the impact of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Historically, the G20 was formed at a time of crisis in the world. More than two decades in existence, the world's premier economic forum has succeeded in finding a way out for the world from adversity.

"This forum is a kind of catalyst for countries to get out of a shock situation," said Riza.

Indonesia, as the G20 Presidency this year is expected to be able to find a way out of the shocks of the successive crises currently facing the world. The handling of the pandemic and the impact of the Russo-Ukrainian war must be muted in order to avoid prolonged negative effects.

Riza also feels that President Jokowi's visits to Ukraine and Russia are very significant in convincing the international people of Indonesia's seriousness in de-escalating tensions. Riza believes that this is a positive signal and boosts optimism for world economic recovery.

Although the chances of reconciling the two countries are very small, President Jokowi's visit is expected to be able to erode the egos of the two countries for the greater interest.

"It needs to be emphasized to the Presidents of Ukraine and Russia, there needs to be efforts to minimize the impact of war on global economic recovery," said Riza.

Because, as a result of the war, the health, food, and energy sectors were disrupted. This has a direct impact on efforts to recover the economy from the pandemic, as well as adding to the burden of restoring world stability.

Moreover, several experts and international institutions predict a recession to stagflation due to a prolonged war. For this reason, if President Joko Widodo's visit bears fruit, it is hoped that there will be a follow-up by taking advantage of Indonesia's G20 Presidency.

Riza suggested that a special task force be formed to mediate and discuss technical issues of the Russia-Ukraine geopolitical conflict. That way, solutions to reduce the impact of war can be born and contribute to global recovery efforts.

"When, for example, it is agreed that the two Heads of State (Russia-Ukraine) will attend the summit in November (the G20 summit). So the most important thing is to draw up an agenda until November, what to do. That is the key to the chances of successful mitigation," Riza said.

If this is not done, he continued, this visit will only be symbolic and must be avoided. From the formation of the task force, a joint communiqué can be formulated, easing tensions, and even discussing mitigating the impact of war on health, food, and energy.

On Sunday, June 26, President Jokowi left for Germany at the invitation of the G7 Summit. In the forum, the Head of State will call for peace efforts. President Jokowi is scheduled to visit Ukraine and have a dialogue with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy after the G7 and visit Russia to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin.