JAKARTA – The 5th President of the Republic of Indonesia and the President of PDI Perjuangan, Megawati Soekarnoputri, received an honorary visit from the Kuwaiti Ambassador to Indonesia, Khalid Jassim Al-Yassin. The warm meeting which took place in Megawati’s house, Menteng area, Central Jakarta, Monday, May 18, 2026, discussed the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East and the assessment of historical relations between the two countries.
During the meeting, Megawati was accompanied by members of the PDIP elite, including Secretary General Hasto Kristiyanto, DPP Leader Ahmad Basarah, Director of Foreign Relations Hanjaya Setiawan, as well as politician Mr. Guntur Romli.
PDIP Secretary General Hasto Kristiyanto revealed that Deputy Ambassador Khalid Jassim Al-Yassin opened a dialogue by expressing his deep appreciation for Indonesia’s steadfast support for Palestinian independence. In the eyes of Kuwait, the conflict affecting the Palestinians is the last remanant of colonialism that still exists on the land.
Kuwait and the Arab world, Hasto continued, have extraordinary respect for the political foundations of Indonesia, particularly the heritage of the thought of Bung Karno who fought hard against imperialism.
“The Kuwaiti ambassador hailed Indonesia’s leadership role in the world through the spirit of Bandung, namely the value of solidarity, peace and anti-colonialism that emerged from the Asia-Africa Conference, which contributed to independence from Kuwait. Kuwait then joined the Unblocked Movement. Today, Indonesia occupies a very important position in the Global South region,” Hasto said in a statement on Tuesday, May 19, 2026.
In responding to these compliments, Megawati reaffirmed Indonesia’s geopolitical position, which from the beginning has consisted of supporting world peace with the historic momentum of KAA 1955.
“One of the important points of the Asia-Africa Conference agreement is support for Palestinian independence,” Megawati said.
The cry of humanity and the cry of Kuwait in the whirlwind of war
Discussions about these two national figures then shifted to the global geopolitical situation, particularly the war involving the United States, Israel and Iran in the Middle East. Highlighting the destructive impact of war, Megawati expressed her concern from a mother’s perspective.
“As a mother, I feel deep sadness for the unpredictable effects of war on the fate of children and mothers in countries in conflict,” Megawati said.
On the other hand, the head of Kuwaiti diplomacy disclosed the difficult position his country is experiencing. He asserted that Kuwait was officially neutral, was not a party to an armed conflict and had firmly prohibited its territory or airspace from being used as a base for attack against a neighboring country.
However, this neutrality had to be paid dearly. Over the past two months, Kuwait has been the target of massive aggression.
“That said, over the past two months, Kuwait has continued to face intensive attacks. These attacks target civilian facilities, such as airports, oil facilities, water treatment facilities and government buildings, which have resulted in casualties. The Iranian attacks also constitute a violation of the United Nations Covenant and the principles of international law. Under the pretext that the Iranian attacks aim to disrupt the installations and interests of the United States in Kuwait,” declared head of mission Khalid, explaining the situation in his country.
The head of Kuwaiti diplomacy stressed that Kuwait had protested against this violation of sovereignty with Iran. Given Indonesia’s respected international position on the world stage, Kuwait deplored Jakarta taking a strategic role in eliminating tensions in the Middle East.
In addition, the two sides also analyzed short-term solutions to restore the stability of the world economy, one of which is to request the reopening of the Devil of Hormuz. This crucial maritime route must be standardized quickly to ensure the security of the international trade supply chain and the stability of the global energy market.
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