We are proud as a nation, to see President and First Lady actively participate in the peace mission and give real contribution by bringing humanitarian aid for Ukraine
Jakarta (ANTARA) - First Lady Iriana accompanying President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) during the visit to Ukraine emphasized that Jokowi's peace-promoting mission was conducted in utmost sincerity and the spirit of friendship, the Presidential Staff Office (KSP) stated.

"Mrs. Iriana and President Jokowi's togetherness showcased (a friendly gesture) just like (one would do in) everyday (settings), (being simple), being relaxed and warm. This gesture strongly promoted the message of peace, which (encouraged) the conflict to end soon, (so) people can live normally once more," main expert staff at the KSP Siti Ruhaini Dzuhayatin noted here on Thursday.

The first lady accompanying the president during the trip felt akin to a family visit to a member facing difficulties in order to seek a solution to the problem.

Moreover, President Jokowi believed that soft diplomacy --which puts emotional aspects into the spotlight -- would work effectively in interactions between state leaders, she remarked.

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She also opined that Iriana partaking in her husband's visit highlighted the message of the importance of women's participation in the peace creation process. This is since women were often the victims of conflicts, and they bore the burden of multiple roles every time, but still, their contributions were often forgotten, she pointed out.

In many instances, women's participation in conflict resolution would encourage faster progress towards peace, Dzuhayatin pointed out.

"(This is) because women (tend to) think and prioritize protection of humanity more rather than just political ambitions and interests," she remarked.

She also opined that President Jokowi and First Lady Iriana's active participation in the mission to Ukraine to promote peace further cements Indonesia's position as the initiator of the Non-Alignment Movement that encouraged independence, despised apartheid, and supports no military pacts.


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"We are proud as a nation, to see President and First Lady actively participate in the peace mission and give real contribution by bringing humanitarian aid for Ukraine," she stated.

Mrs Iriana accompanied President Jokowi in the mission to Ukraine, on Wednesday, June 29. She symbolically handed over humanitarian aid, in form of medications, to the Ukraine Center of Endocrine Science and Surgery, Organd and Endocrine Tissue Transplant in Kyiv.

Iriana and her husband also witnessed first-hand the destroyed state of Irpin City in the Lipky Akiba Apartment Complex.

"The decision of the First Lady's participation needed (thorough) consideration and coordination from Indonesia and Ukraine, given the situation and condition being dynamic and uncertain," she concluded.


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Translator: Mecca Yumna Ning Prisie
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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