Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim issued a joint call for peace in the Middle East and a lasting solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict, after a meeting in Jakarta on Friday.
The comments came after a meeting in which the pair “exchanged views on bilateral ties, regional dynamics in Southeast Asia, and global issues of mutual concern,” as per the Indonesian news agency Antara. Among the most important of these international issues was the war between Israel and Iran that broke out with the Israeli decapitation strikes on June 13.
During a press conference following a meeting in Jakarta on Friday, the two leaders, who have both spoken out about the situation in the Middle East in general, and the Israeli destruction of Gaza in particular, said that they shared a common aspiration to see peace prevail across the Middle East.
Anwar stated that Malaysia strongly condemned Israel’s attacks on Iran, and supported Iran’s “right to defend its dignity, integrity, and sovereignty,” according to Tempo.
But “even more crucial is our shared commitment to creating peace, not only between Iran and Israel, but also across the entire Middle East, by ensuring the rights of the people of Gaza, and recognizing Palestine as an independent and sovereign state,” Anwar said.
Prabowo said that the two sides welcomed the ceasefire that was announced between Israel and Iran on June 24, expressing hope that the region “can move forward towards lasting peace.” He said that “only a two-state solution” could bring an end to the Israel-Palestine conflict, Bernama reported. “Indonesia and Malaysia believe a global collective effort is essential to promote a peaceful resolution to the conflict,” he added.
Among the international issues discussed by the two leaders was the conflict in Myanmar. Anwar reportedly requested that Prabowo “leverage Indonesia’s intelligence and military capabilities” to help facilitate a resolution to the conflict that has raged since the February 2021 coup.
“I am not asking for military intervention, but for Indonesia to engage in dialogue and help bridge understanding between conflicting parties in Myanmar,” Anwar said during the press conference. Anwar raised concerns over the border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia, which has intensified since an armed clash in a remote stretch of the border erupted on May 28.
During the meeting, Prabowo and Anwar also expressed their strong commitment to “accelerate strategic cooperation in various fields,” Bernama reported. Potentially most significantly, this included a pledge to pursue joint development of the Ambalat region in the Celebes Sea, despite an ongoing maritime border dispute in the area. Malaysia and Indonesia have maintained overlapping claims to a 15,000-square-kilometer area of Ambalat since 1969, and the area is believed to hold considerable undersea crude oil reserves.
Anwar said that both sides had an interest in pushing forward development in the block, even in the absence of a binding resolution. “Since we recognize that resolving border issues can take time, we have agreed to seek mutually beneficial solutions,” President Prabowo said during the press conference, according to an Antara report. “In the case of Ambalat, we are aiming to establish economic cooperation under a joint development scheme while awaiting legal resolution,” Anwar said, adding that “if we wait to finish it, it might take another two decades.”