‘TURKEY, INDONESIA SHOULD UNITE AGAINST ISLAMOPHOBIA’

Tue 22 December 2020:

Turkey and Indonesia should work together to support the Muslim community against Islamophobia and discrimination, according to Turkey’s foreign minister on Tuesday.

“We should support the [Muslim] community by working together with Indonesia and fight against these,” Mevlut Cavusoglu told a press conference alongside Indonesian counterpart Retno Marsudi in Jakarta.

Cavusoglu highlighted the increased threats of Islamophobia and discrimination against the Muslim world and said the two countries should also stand together against attempts to harm their values.

“As two important Muslim countries we must protect the mutual aims and interests of our countries and the [Muslim] community,” he said.

Welcoming Turkish investors’ rising interest in Indonesia, Marsudi said: “I told Minister Cavusoglu about the employment law that was recently approved in Indonesia and encourages foreign investment. I believe this will provide a more favorable environment for Turkish investments here.”

On regional and global issues, Marsudi said that they discussed the importance of strengthening multilateralism in the fight against the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Emphasizing that peace and stability in the Middle East would be essential for a global recovery in the post-pandemic period, she said Indonesia and Turkey agreed to strengthen the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to find solutions for the welfare of Muslims.