Global Diplomacy at Teuku Umar
Indonesia’s fifth president, Megawati Soekarnoputri, received guests from friendly nations. The Middle East was a dominant topic in the meetings, along with strategic cooperation in science and sustainable development, and highlighting historical and diplomatic ties between nations.
She reiterated Sukarno’s ideas that laid the foundation for the Non-Aligned Movement through his ‘To Build the World Anew’ speech at the UN. In the address, Bung Karno promoted Pancasila values, anti-imperialist and anti-colonial spirit, and pushed for UN reform—a vision of global peace that Indonesia championed long before world order reform became a global discussion.
In pursuit of peace, strategic solutions to global challenges, and cultural campaigns through gifts reflect that diplomacy can occur in simple meeting spaces in Indonesia. International relations can still be built through idea exchanges, cultural respect, and equal friendship.
One by one, distinguished guests arrived at the residence of Indonesia’s fifth president, Megawati Soekarnoputri, on Teuku Umar Street in Menteng, Central Jakarta. Representing various nations with critical agendas, they forged bonds in a warm and cordial atmosphere. Heads of state, ambassadors, and delegations came from the Middle East, North America, East Asia, and Australia.
The Middle East featured prominently in several discussions. During talks with representatives from Iran, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, Palestine, and Cuba, Megawati highlighted regional conflicts, support for peace, and solidarity with nations facing geopolitical pressures. Indonesia’s consistent stance on Palestine and regional stability remained a common thread.
Megawati did not remain silent when the US and Israel attacked Iran, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday, 28 February 2026. She conveyed her condolences to the Iranian government via a letter delivered through the Iranian embassy in Jakarta on Tuesday, 3 March 2026. In the letter, she wrote that Ayatollah Khamenei shared a spiritual and ideological closeness with Bung Karno, the nation’s founding father, proclamator, and first president.
‘I reiterate that Indonesia stands with the Iranian people in rejecting and condemning all forms of unilateral military aggression that violate national sovereignty and threaten regional and global peace,’ Megawati wrote in the letter. This was also during Iran’s new leadership under Mojtaba Khamenei.
Megawati received Iranian Ambassador Mohammad Boroujerdi at her residence in Menteng, Jakarta, on Tuesday, 10 March 2026. She entrusted a letter to Mojtaba Khamenei offering congratulations and prayers for Iran’s strength towards just and dignified progress, and for building a more peaceful and constructive world for all humanity.
During a meeting with Iraq’s Chargé d’Affaires ad interim, Ammar Hameed Saadallah Al-Khalidy, Megawati discussed Bung Karno’s ideas that founded the Non-Aligned Movement and his ‘To Build the World Anew’ UN speech promoting Pancasila, anti-imperialism, anti-colonialism, and UN reform. ‘Bung Karno proposed UN reform as early as 1960 in his speech, long before the issue became widely debated from 1993 onwards,’ said Al-Khalidy, who studied the Bandung Asian-African Conference and served as a UN diplomat.
Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Indonesia, Faisal Abdullah Al Amoudi, urged Megawati to actively contribute to the current Middle East situation. In response, Megawati stated her readiness to act as a bridge for conflicting parties to achieve true peace.
Faisal welcomed Megawati’s proposal to plant ‘Soekarno Trees’ in the holy city of Mecca and Hajj areas as part of Saudi Arabia’s 10 billion tree planting initiative. As chair of the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Megawati will provide research on suitable tree species for Saudi Arabia’s environment and donate saplings.
Palestine’s ambassador to Indonesia, HE Mr. Abdalfatah A.K. Alsattari, thanked Megawati for her support and consistent stance on Palestine against Israel. Megawati shed tears as Abdalfatah described the suffering of Palestinians under Israeli occupation, prompting her to recall Indonesia’s long history of oppression.
‘Israel may destroy physically, but I believe every Palestinian heart holds an unyielding spirit and a strong determination for freedom. Like Indonesia, I am certain full Palestinian independence will be achieved,’ Megawati said. ‘Be strong.’
Megawati’s meetings with several