Jakarta (ANTARA) - Member countries of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) must work together and end the occupation in Palestine once and for all, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi emphasized while speaking at the NAM Committee for Palestine meeting.

During the meeting chaired by Azerbaijan, as the NAM Chair, and held on the sidelines of the 77th Session of the UN General Assembly in New York, the US, last Saturday, Marsudi accentuated that NAM should consolidate its position on Palestine.

At the same time, the Palestinian struggle must begin at home as unity in Palestine is key, Marsudi said as quoted in a press statement of the Foreign Ministry here on Monday.

"Over the past week, we have spoken a lot about the global crisis. However, one thing we must not miss is our commitment to Palestine. Liberating Palestine from occupation is our common 'debt,'" the minister remarked.

"One of the reasons why the Palestinian issue remains on the agenda of the Non-Aligned Movement and is still unresolved is because there is a gap between commitments and what NAM had actually implemented. We do not do walk the talk, we only talk, but do not do anything," she remarked.

Marsudi further said that Indonesia is proud to be able to stand at the forefront of fighting for Palestinian independence and reiterated Indonesia's steadfast commitment to supporting the two-state solution.

The minister called on NAM to play a bigger role in encouraging the start of the Palestinian-Israeli peace process as NAM has 120 member states, thereby constituting 60 percent of the votes in the UN.

"This will obviously make a difference. In addition, currently, there are five NAM countries that are non-permanent members of the UN Security Council," she noted.

With 139 countries having recognized Palestine as a state, NAM must continue to fight for Palestinian independence until it is achieved, she stated.

Meanwhile, on Sept 21, Marsudi also spoke at the Foreign Ministers' Meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement in New York.

“Today's world is filled with distrust and rivalry. Therefore, the NAM must unite and form a new paradigm to respond to this situation," she said as quoted in a statement of the ministry.

Minister Marsudi further noted that the current global security situation is similar to the world situation in 1961, the year the NAM was formed.

"Politics based on power and weapons will only end on the battlefield," the minister said while quoting Bung Karno's views in 1961.

To prevent conflicts and wars from occurring, Minister Marsudi encouraged NAM countries to voice three new paradigms: strategic trust needs to be put forward; sovereignty and territorial integrity must be upheld; and peaceful resolution of conflicts must be prioritized.

Minister Retno Marsudi concluded her speech while underlining the role of the Bandung Principles as a guideline to ensure that all countries bear the same burden and that multilateral cooperation continues to be put forward.

The next chair of NAM will be Uganda, which will start its chairmanship in 2023.

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Translator: Yuni A Sinaga, Fardah
Editor: Sri Haryati
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