REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi said that Indonesia must be strong and its economy must grow well. Therefore, the country would not be bullied or made fun of.
"Indonesia must be strong, and its economy must grow well to maintain stability, because if we are weak, we will be bullied and made fun of," she stated in a general lecture in front of students of the Law Faculty of Pancasila University here on Thursday.
Marsudi praised the Djuanda Declaration, which is commemorated as Nusantara (archipelago) Day on Dec 13, as a great achievement of the country's diplomacy that people have now enjoyed as a fundamental concept of the declaration that had been put in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982 to recognize the country as an archipelagic state. She noted that Indonesia has always used the concept of negotiations so far, including dealing with maritime borders, with other countries.
"This is a commemoration of a great achievement," she remarked, referring to the Nusantara Day.
Quoting other diplomatic achievements, Marsudi referred to the country's involvement in the issue of protection and its contribution to peace efforts. She added that the world's trust in Indonesia has been reflected by the country's appointment as a member of the UN Security Council.
"This is not easy, but thank God, we have been able to win it and carry it out well," she explained.
Border negotiations with Malaysia have also been advanced and marked by achievements in the maritime negotiations, which is yet to be formalized. Marsuid elaborated that Indonesia has always striven to settle the border issue as it is very important to prevent incidents. Hence, maritime as well as land border negotiations must be continued.
"The challenges are always big, but we believe negotiations may give good results," she added.
Marsudi returned from the UN Summit to ratify Global Migration Agreement in Marrakesh, Morroco, on Dec 10 and 11. She noted that the issue of migration is very important for Indonesia, because millions of its citizens are working abroad.
Migration has become a choice for people to have better livelihood and also to escape the political or economic instability in their countries, Marsudi pointed out. She noted that the country's solidarity with migration was evident by the priority it gives to the protection of citizens who need help.
When evacuating Indonesian citizens in Yemen from the port of Aden, there were other countries that had asked Indonesia to help take their citizens in Aden.
"When it comes to human beings, there is no issue of whose citizens need to be helped first," she explained.
On the occasion, Marsudi also referred to Indonesia's stance to fully support Palestine to gain independence. "This is a mandate of the constitution. We continue to support Palestine," she remarked.
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