Practitioner Highlights Need for Indonesia to Engage More with Iran

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Executive Director and Founder of Synergy Policies, Dinna Prapto Raharja, believes that Indonesia needs to engage more with Iran and other oppressed parties following the global upheaval triggered by the US and Israeli attacks on Iran.

“We must speak more to the parties that have been oppressed all this time,” said Dinna during a Public Discussion on Southeast Asia Amid Geopolitical Turmoil in Jakarta on Monday.

The international community, she said, knows which countries initiated the conflict following the US and Israeli attacks on Iran on 28 February, thus sparking the current geopolitical unrest.

In addition to mitigating the impacts arising from this turmoil, Indonesia’s approach and support for Iran, according to her, are important to demonstrate solidarity with the oppressed parties.

“So, we should not side with the parties to the conflict that have continuously escalated,” she said.

“Because groups that cannot speak out at the global level actually play a determining role. We can clearly identify those carrying out aggression and invasion. But the other groups that cannot say anything are far more numerous,” she added.

Dinna encouraged the government to instead rally support for Iran, especially since both countries are members of several common forums or groups, such as D8, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the Non-Aligned Movement, and BRICS.

“Internationally, we already know that Iran is the party being attacked. Second, Iran is a member of several cooperations in which we are also involved. Third, we must speak on behalf of humanity,” she said.

Dinna made this statement following the US and Israeli attacks on Iran, which caused infrastructure damage and civilian casualties, as well as strategic impacts on global energy security.

In particular, these impacts, she said, greatly affect countries in Southeast Asia because most nations in the region are oil importers.

“All countries in Southeast Asia buy it. So, we are highly dependent on the availability of that energy,” she said.