Indonesia's Retno Marsudi Attends Oslo Forum to Discuss Conflict Resolution
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12 June 2024 16:12 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi attended the Oslo Forum in Norway, on Tuesday, June 11, 2024. This year’s forum raised the theme "mediation against all odds." According to Retno, this theme is increasingly relevant amidst worsening conflicts and wars in the world, including in Gaza and Ukraine.
The Oslo Forum is an annual event held by Norway that gathers mediators and negotiators around the world. This is Indonesia’s fourth year of being invited to the Oslo Forum, with consideration of its active role in issues of Myanmar, Afghanistan, and Palestine.
On that occasion, Retno had the honor to hold a discussion on stage with the Prime Minister of Norway, the President of Somalia, and the State Minister from Qatar during the opening plenary session. For Retno, the opportunity to be a speaker at the opening plenary was a recognition of Indonesia's role in advancing international peace.
During the discussion, Retno said not all countries can be mediators, but all can contribute to peace and create a situation that is conducive to peace. "So, I proposed to broaden the discussion, not just "mediation against all odds" but "mediation and peacemaking against all odds," said Retno in a written statement.
According to Retno, parties in conflict sometimes are not willing to make peace, since they believe making peace means surrendering. Therefore, all parties, especially parties in conflict, must be convinced to abandon the zero-sum game approach.
She also explained that the nature of conflicts is increasingly complex, influenced by domestic politics and geopolitical rivalries. "I also emphasize the importance of respecting international law,” she said. “The importance of strengthening the multilateral system to create peace.”
The current multilateral system, Retno went on, is no longer capable of resolving conflicts effectively. Mediation takes a long time, and many things can be done while waiting for the results, such as acceleration of humanitarian assistance, and preparing Palestine for statehood, including through recognition and full membership in the UN. In this context, Indonesia expressed its appreciation to Norway for recognizing Palestine on May 28, 2024.
TEMPO.CO
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