TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo met Monday with Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al Maliki at Merdeka Palace, Jakarta.
Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, who accompanied Jokowi, said the meeting was part of the solidarity week for Palestine, which commenced on Saturday, October 13. Retno said her Palestinian counterpart also sent Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' regards for Jokowi.
"Palestine thanked Indonesia for its continued support," Retno said after the meeting at the Presidential Complex in Jakarta.
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Retno added Riyad lauded the Indonesian government's relentless support towards Palestine in all international forums. "Wherever the issue of Palestine is in the spotlight, Indonesia has always been there," she said.
Retno explained the last meeting between Indonesia and Palestine was in New York, U.S., a month ago. On the occasion, some 40 countries canvassed possible solutions to the Palestine-Israel conflict. Retno was among the foreign ministers present at the meeting.
Read: Indonesian, Palestinian Foreign Ministers Discuss Gaza Situation
Retno said the bilateral ties between both countries had been well-preserved, and that the people of Palestine had welcomed the solidarity week for Palestine campaign. "They say Palestinians will feel what Indonesia has done this week," she said.
Retno went on to say that Riyad also thanked Indonesia for the latter's political and financial support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).
AHMAD FAIZ IBNU SANI
