Nagorno Karabakh War and Participation from Indonesia is Expected

Short Story of Nagorno Karabakh war

Nargono Karabakh is a land-locked region in the south Caucasus. Currently, this region is internationally recognized as a part of Azerbaijan and consists of Armenian ethnic majority. Armenia illegally trying to claim it as part of their territory. Since Nikol Pashinyan becomes Prime Minister of Armenia back in 2018. Armenia has occupied not only Nagorno-Karabakh, to which the claimant is Yerevan, but also 7 Azerbaijan regions around it, which Armenia was not going to give up all these years peacefully. The United Nations Security Council adopted four resolutions (822, 853, 874, and 884) demanding the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of Armenian armed forces from Azerbaijan territories. Unfortunately, these resolutions have not been implemented.

Azerbaijan and Indonesia Diplomatic Relationship

Azerbaijan and Indonesia already have established camaraderie for more than a quarter-century. The Republic of Indonesia recognized the independence of the Republic of Azerbaijan on December 28th, 1991, and diplomatic relations between the two countries were established on September 24th, 1992. The Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan was established in Jakarta, on February 1st,2006 and it was the first Embassy of Azerbaijan opened in Southeast Asia. After four years the Republic of Indonesia established its Embassy in Baku on December 2nd,2010.

Bilateral Cooperation between Azerbaijan and Indonesia

Bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and Indonesia have been developing quickly and dynamically and broaden in various sectors. Both Azerbaijan and Indonesia cooperate very actively in international organizations within the United Nations (UN), Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), and other international organizations. Azerbaijan has always supported Indonesia with humanitarian assistance when it was experiencing difficult days as a result of natural disasters.

In the field of education and culture, “Indonesian Studies” was introduced at the faculty of International Relations and Management in 2007 and the Indonesian Research Centre was established in 2010 in the Azerbaijan University of Languages. Apart from that, the Marshal Art of Pencak Silat is very popular in Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan provides scholarships for all higher education levels in its universities for citizens of countries of the OIC and the Non-Alignment Movement. In the last few years, more Indonesian citizens have expressed interest to study in the universities of Azerbaijan.

In the field of public services is one of the rapidly developing fields between both countries. Azerbaijan is sharing experiences of its own establishment and brand, called the “ASAN Service”, which is a “One Stop Shop” system for all public services under one roof. In the economic field, the trade value of the two countries amounted to more than 500 million US Dollars in 2018. It is expected that in the future the two countries would further enhance the partnerships in trade and investment, especially in the energy sector. The two countries successfully cooperate in the trade area. Since 2012 until 2018 trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Indonesia went over 10 billion USD. During these years, Indonesia was one of the top 5 countries which imported crude oil from Azerbaijan. Besides crude oil, Azerbaijan exports oil products, bituminous minerals and machinery equipments to be used in oil sector to lndonesia. lndonesia mainly exports palm oil, coffee, textile material to Azerbaijan

In addition, information about tourism is also important to follow up. Azerbaijan is one of the religious tourism icons for Muslims and is very suitable for the Umrah program plus Islamic tourism. Tourism is one of the agenda activities in our mission in Indonesia. Azerbaijan wants direct flights from Jakarta to Baku (the capital of Azerbaijan) or at least there is an Umrah program plus tourism to Azerbaijan.

Indonesia Response towards the Issue

In 2018 the Chairman of the Azerbaijan Press Council, Aflatun Amasov said that Indonesia strongly supports Azerbaijan’s rightful position in the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno Karabakh issue. Indonesia always gives political support to Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh territory, which is disputed with Armenia, Indonesia always supported Azerbaijan on the issue in international forums such as the United Nations and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

Meanwhile in 2020, Indonesia has expressed concern over the escalating armed clash between Azerbaijan and Armenia in Nagorno-Karabakh and urged the two countries to end the fight. “Indonesia calls on both sides to exercise self-restraint, ceasefire, return to dialogue, and peacefully settle their disputes, in accordance with international law and relevant UN Security Council resolutions,” the Foreign Ministry tweeted on Thursday (October 1st 2020). Indonesia also called on both countries to resume dialogue in the framework of the Minsk Process facilitated by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

What Indonesia supposed to support

As a global citizen, I condemn any kind of war included this Armenia’s aggression over Azerbaijan territorial. It is a clear violation of basic norms and fundal principles of international law, including the 1949 Geneva Convection. The war should be stopped because the victims will be increased. These innocent people living in the dangerous and they have risk to lost their dearest ones and their house. Nobody deserve for the war and it is worried that the kids who are currently living in war territorial will be grown up with awful trauma.

According to Mr. Arya Sandhiyuda, an International Politic observer saying that Indonesia can give participation to dim the war through cooperation in the regional countries such as Turkey, Iran, and Russia for ceasefire. He said that this is a partial war so that the ceasefire or status quo is needed. So that Indonesia should do the diplomacy to those countries. It is known that Turkey and Iran support Azerbaijan meanwhile Russia supports Armenia.

Since independence, Indonesian foreign relations have adhered to a "free and active" foreign policy, seeking to play a role in regional affairs commensurate with its size and location but avoiding involvement in conflicts among major powers. As a country that has bilateral relations for both Armenia and Azerbaijan, Indonesia can’t stand to both countries. However, Indonesia can stand to humanity for those who get the aftermath of this war.

As the day goes change and the war still goes on, the victim will increase step by step. Azerbaijan and its citizens (particularly in the Karabakh area) suffer a lot in many circumstances. Plentiful people lost their homes, got injuries, even killed.

Unfortunately, Azerbaijan lacks any humanitarian aids from Indonesian governments to their civilian in the Nargono Karabakh territory. As we know that, Indonesia is one of the country that active for sharing any humanitarian aids for those war victims in various conflict countries such as Palestinian, Rohingya (Myanmar), Lebanon blast, Suriah, et cetera.

Indonesia can conduct the shuttle diplomacy like what His Excellency Mr. Marty Natalegawa (former Indonesia’s Minister Foreign Affairs) did to lower the tension in the South China Sea dispute in 2012 and Her Excellency Mrs. Retno Marsudi, current Indonesia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs did to humanitarian crisis towards Rohingya ethnic in Myanmar. Indonesia can implement the same way towards Turkey, Iran, and Russia as it is known that Azerbaijan is supported by Turkey and Iran, meanwhile, Armenia is supported by Russia. Remembering that both Indonesia and Azerbaijan are Muslim-majority countries and both sides enjoy strong and trusted partnerships, including mutual political support based on bilateral ties of brotherhood and friendship for over than quarter centuries.

Source:

- https://en.antaranews.com/news/124567/indonesia-and-azerbaijan-strengthen-partnership-create-stronger-ties

- https://voinews.id/index.php/component/k2/item/3851-indonesia-and-azerbaijan-increase-partnership

- https://en.minanews.net/ambassador-of-the-republic-of-azerbaijan-indonesia-is-a-strategic-partner/

- https://en.antaranews.com/news/115885/indonesia-always-backs-azerbaijan-on-nagorno-karabakh

- https://lingkarmadiun.pikiran-rakyat.com/internasional/pr-66795463/perang-armenia-azerbaijan-dapat-diredam-oleh-indonesia-dengan-jalur-diplomasi-3-negara-ini

- https://www.cnbcindonesia.com/news/20201002105642-4-191144/perang-armenia-vs-azerbaijan-ini-sikap-ri

- https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2020/10/02/indonesia-urges-ceasefire-in-escalating-fight-between-azerbaijan-armenia.html