Megawati Receives Courtesy Calls from South Korean and UAE Ambassadors at Residence

Indonesia’s 5th President and Chairwoman of the PDI Perjuangan (PDIP), Megawati Soekarnoputri, received separate courtesy calls from South Korean Ambassador to Indonesia Yoon Soon-gu and United Arab Emirates (UAE) Ambassador to Indonesia Abdulla Salem Obaid Al Dhaheri at her residence in Menteng, Central Jakarta, on Monday evening. During the meeting with the South Korean ambassador, Megawati was accompanied by her son and PDIP Chair M. Prananda Prabowo, as well as PDIP Chairs Rokhmin Dahuri and Ahmad Basarah. Ambassador Yoon observed the meeting room at Megawati’s residence on Jalan Teuku Umar and expressed his honour at meeting the Soekarno family. ‘I am honoured to meet Ibu Megawati today and to visit this room. The history of the Indonesian nation is in this room. I see many photos of President Soekarno and Ibu Megawati, and I met Ibu and her son in person,’ said Ambassador Yoon. Megawati and Prananda Prabowo smiled at the statement. When discussing the two Koreas, Ambassador Yoon greatly appreciated Megawati’s attention to issues on the Korean Peninsula. ‘Ibu Mega has experience, expertise, and closeness with both North Korea and South Korea. This is an asset to act as an intermediary for the two countries to engage in peaceful dialogue at the negotiating table,’ he stated. The South Korean ambassador conveyed that the most important thing at present is dialogue with North Korea without any preconditions. Megawati explained her past experience as a peace envoy for South Korea, beginning under President Kim Dae Jung from the Democratic Party. ‘At that time, I proposed a meeting and reunion of families separated by the division of Korea at the Panmunjom border. I also proposed economic cooperation between the two kindred nations,’ Megawati explained. Ambassador Yoon felt that with Megawati’s experience and closeness to North Korea, she is the right figure to become a special envoy for peace between the two Koreas. The South Korean ambassador promised to convey the entire discussion to President Lee Jae-myung. After receiving the South Korean ambassador, Megawati continued with a courtesy call from UAE Ambassador Abdulla Salem Al Dhaheri. On this occasion, Megawati was also joined by the Head of the Party’s Central Research and Policy Analysis Agency, Andi Widjajanto, and Executive Director of the Megawati Institute, Hilmar Farid. Megawati and Ambassador Al Dhaheri share a close relationship, especially following Megawati’s visit to the UAE in early February. ‘Thank you for visiting my home in Abu Dhabi last February. I convey warm greetings from the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. He knows about this meeting and sends his warm regards to you,’ said Ambassador Al Dhaheri. The discussion flowed not only on geopolitical issues related to conflicts in the Middle East but also on closer cooperation in various fields. Megawati encouraged cooperation between the UAE government and the Megawati Institute in areas such as religious tolerance, Pancasila, and studies on the thoughts of the founding fathers of both nations. In her capacity as Chair of the BRIN Steering Board, Megawati also called for strengthened cooperation between BRIN and the UAE government, including ongoing mangrove research in Bali.