Jakarta, IO – The government through the Foreign Ministry (Kemlu) continues to finalize measures to protect Indonesian citizens in the midst of the Middle East crisis.
This step was personally overseen by Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi through a coordination meeting with several heads of Indonesian representatives in Ankara, Turkey, Thursday (2/5).
“As we all know, the Middle East situation is very dynamic. We continue to strive for deescalation,” said Retno, per Republika, Tue (7/5).
“However, we also have to prepare ourselves if the situation deteriorates, including protecting Indonesian citizens.”
Retno specifically discussed the possibility of evacuating Indonesian citizens in the event of war.
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“Careful preparation is always needed and is the main thing so that we don’t get caught unprepared if the situation worsens,” said Retno.
According to Kemlu data, the number of Indonesian citizens living in conflict-prone areas reaches tens of thousands, comprising 1,524 in Jordan, 131 in the West Bank and Israel, and 15,708 in Egypt. There are also 1,232 UNIFIL Task Force personnel in Lebanon, 2,361 in Syria, 4,866 in Yemen, and 796 in Iraq. (un)