Indonesia Continues To Echo Nuclear Submarine Problems, Indonesian Ministry Of Foreign Affairs: There Are Still Many Grey Areas

Spokesperson for the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Roy Soemirat. (VOI/AFI)

JAKARTA - Indonesia will continue to echo the issue of nuclear submarines, an official from the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday, referring to the large number of gray areas around nuclear submarines, having previously encouraged discussions at the United Nations.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Roy Soemirat said Indonesia initiated discussions on nuclear submarines at the United Nations, within the framework of the 2022 Nuclear Weapons Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

"We think there are still many gray areas that must be reaffirmed under the rules of the international convention standards which are fully recognized," Roy said in a press statement Monday, December 16.

"We always echo the issue of this submarine not only in the NPT review meeting, until now we are still continuing its discussion under the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency)," explained Roy.

He further explained that the problem of nuclear submarines being a joint concern, open only Indonesia, how to ensure that countries that wish to develop nuclear power for the purpose of using nuclear submarines can still be carried out under a framework supervised by the international mechanism of the IAEA, related to nuclear use, especially for the use of peace.

He said nuclear submarines were identical to the use of vehicles closely related to military use activities

"So this is very sensitive and very likely to be regulated, so, no more gray areas are allowed, which ones are not," he said.

He emphasized that for Indonesia, the three pillars of NPT are clear, namely non-proliferation cuts, the use of nuclear materials for peaceful purposes, and the commitment to extract nuclear weapons which has not yet been carried out by the owner of nuclear weapons.

"The three pillars must be emphasized in a balanced framework," said Roy.

He said nuclear power for nuclear submarines by non-nuclear countries under the NPT was a question that had to be solved publicly, comprehensively.

"Indonesia will continue to use various forums, especially multilateral related to non-proliferation and dissarmation to discuss this issue further," said Roy.

Regarding AUKUS' cooperation between Australia, Britain and the United States, Roy said Indonesia did not comment on its cooperation. However, highlighting the decision for one aspect of cooperation that opens up opportunities for non-nuclear countries to have a technology with relatively unproven nuclear power under applicable contracts.

"That's what we question. We also raise our concerns, things like this will only increase the tension that exists in the region," he explained.

Roy explained, as a member of the IAEA Board of Gods, Indonesia raised this problem with a number of other countries.

"Again, the goal is not to block, stop, or reverse what these countries have decided, but to provide international clarity that can apply in general. So it is not only misused, utilized by certain countries or countries that have technological capacity, of course, to do things like that, we want these things to have regulations," he said.

It is known, Proposal Indonesia is the basis, the middle of discussion regarding the nuclear-powered submarine program (Nuclear Naval Propulsion - NPP) in a meeting held by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Austria on 12-16 September 2022.

It is a continuation of the "10th Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons" (NPT RevCon) which took place from August 1 to 26, in New York, United States.

In the NPT RevCon meeting on August 1-26, 2022, the Indonesian proposal was able to attract the attention of many meeting-participants, until it was finally used as a reference, a middle way related to NPP.

The discussion of the NPP in the international nuclear context is the first time that it has discussed nuclear-powered submarines, which the state has, not nuclear owners, in accordance with international law.

The main issue is about security, safety and inclusiveness, within the framework of peaceful nuclear use, in the context of the IAEA.