Saudi Ambassador Urges Megawati to Play Active Role in Middle East Situation
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to Indonesia, Faisal Abdullah Al Amoudi, has requested that the Fifth President of the Republic of Indonesia and General Chair of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Megawati Soekarnoputri, contribute actively to the current situation in the Middle East.
This was conveyed by Faisal Abdullah Al Amoudi when he was received by Megawati at her residence in Menteng, Jakarta, on Thursday. In the meeting, Megawati was accompanied by the Chairman of the PDI-P Central Executive Board, Ahmad Basarah, the Head of the PDI-P Policy Research and Analysis Agency, Andi Widjajanto, and Guntur Romli.
The atmosphere of the meeting proceeded warmly for nearly two hours. Before shaking hands with the Saudi Ambassador, Megawati commented on the white orchid presented by the Saudi Ambassador that was placed in the room.
“The white-coloured orchid is genuine; the others are genetically engineered,” said Megawati in a written statement in Jakarta on Thursday.
In addition to conveying Eid al-Fitr greetings to Megawati, the Saudi Ambassador congratulated her on the honorary doctorate awarded by Princess Nourah University (PNU) in Riyadh, the world’s largest women’s university, in February.
Megawati responded by thanking the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the conferment and the excellent and extraordinary reception during the umrah she performed with her family after receiving the doctorate from PNU.
“I am grateful because the umrah process I undertook yesterday went well,” said Megawati to the Saudi Ambassador.
Ahmad Basarah, who also joined the umrah at that time, explained that Megawati observed the construction process at the Masjidil Haram and noted plans for a hajj quota of 6 million in 2030, proposing the planting of trees in the holy city and in areas for performing hajj, particularly “Soekarno trees”.
“The Saudi Ambassador was very pleased with Ibu Megawati’s proposal and explained that Saudi Arabia indeed has a programme to plant 10 billion trees. Therefore, he will welcome Ibu Megawati’s offer with open arms,” said Basarah.
As Chair of the BRIN Advisory Board, Megawati is ready to collaborate by providing research results on tree species suitable for Saudi Arabia’s natural conditions and contributing tree seedlings.
Meanwhile, regarding the situation in the Middle East region, Basarah mentioned that the Saudi Ambassador requested Megawati to contribute actively to the situation in the Middle East.
“According to the Saudi Ambassador, Ibu Megawati Soekarnoputri is an important figure in local and global politics who has attention to environmental and geopolitical issues; therefore, Ibu Megawati’s voice is very important and impactful on the Islamic world and globally to maintain regional stability and world peace,” said Basarah.
“Ibu Megawati responded positively to the request from the Saudi Ambassador; she also supports the ceasefire that has been agreed for two weeks and, following Bung Karno’s geopolitical teachings, Ibu Megawati is ready to be a bridge for anyone in conflict to achieve true peace. Ibu Megawati mentioned that she is also a special envoy who serves as a bridge between South Korea and North Korea,” he added.