Indonesian Foreign Minister reveals contents of meeting with Marco Rubio, discusses West Bank
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Foreign Minister Sugiono has revealed the contents of his meeting with United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington DC, which took place following the Gaza Board of Peace (BoP) Summit on Thursday (19/2).
During the meeting, Sugiono explained that he conveyed the concerns of Indonesia and fellow D8 member states regarding the systematic violence perpetrated by Israeli Zionist forces against the Palestinian people in the West Bank.
In the latest United Nations report, the violence carried out by the Israeli military amounts to ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people.
“I conveyed the concerns of several countries in the D8 Group regarding the current situation in Palestine and the West Bank, and we all believe in America’s leadership to halt or resolve the problems that are occurring, or continue to occur there,” said Sugiono in response to journalists’ questions when met in Washington DC on Friday evening (20/2) local time, regarding the key points of his meeting with Rubio.
Sugiono expressed the hopes of Indonesia and several D8 nations that the United States could oversee Israeli military actions so that their conduct against the Palestinian people does not impede the execution of the Gaza Board of Peace’s plans.
The Developing Eight (D8) is an economic cooperation organisation comprising developing countries with majority Muslim populations. D8 members include Indonesia, Turkey, Bangladesh, Egypt, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and most recently Azerbaijan, which joined as the ninth member in December 2024.
“We all believe in America’s leadership to halt or resolve the problems that are occurring or continue to occur there, and we hope that the supervision and oversight being carried out can ensure that the Board of Peace’s plans continue to progress to the next phase,” said Sugiono.
Beyond Palestine, Foreign Minister Sugiono explained that his meeting with Rubio also addressed bilateral issues between Indonesia and the United States, including existing cooperation in the fields of defence, security, economics, and people-to-people relations.
“We also discussed the current regional situation, whether in the Indo-Pacific or ASEAN in a narrower scope,” he said.