While delivering the "2024 Annual Press Statement of the Minister of Foreign Affairs" at Merdeka Building, Bandung, West Java, on Monday, she informed that during the period, 360 Indonesian citizens were saved from the death penalty, while more than 18 thousand Indonesian citizens were repatriated.
Furthermore, 56 Indonesians were rescued from being held hostage, and more than Rp1 trillion (around US$64.39 million) in Indonesians' financial assets were recovered.
The ministry also helped arrange COVID-19 vaccination for more than 88 thousand Indonesian citizens living abroad via diplomatic means.
According to Marsudi, the achievement shows that the protection of Indonesian citizens continued to be one of the main priorities of Indonesia's foreign policy from 2014 to 2023.
Indonesia is continuing to carry out diplomacy at all levels, such as bilateral, regional, and global, to protect its citizens, she said.
Related news: Ministry continues to strengthen protection for Indonesian citizens
At the bilateral level, Indonesia has continued to strengthen the protection of Indonesian citizens by signing memorandums of understanding (MoUs) to establish a one-channel placement system with destination countries for migrant workers, such as Malaysia and Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, at the regional level, Indonesia has initiated ASEAN cooperation for handling online scams.
At the global level, Indonesia has continued to contribute actively to the creation of the first international instrument that comprehensively regulates migration issues, namely the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration.
Indonesia is also one of the co-sponsors for the preparation of the IMO-ILO Guidelines related to the issue of handling cases of seafarer abandonment.
The "2024 Annual Press Statement of the Minister of Foreign Affairs" was themed "Advancing Free and Active Foreign Policy: A Ten-Year Journey."
At the event, Minister Marsudi listed the achievements of Indonesia's diplomacy in the past nine years and the priorities of diplomacy for the next one year.
Related news: Govt handles 44,521 cases on Indonesians' protection abroad in 2023
Translator: Yashinta Difa, Raka Adji
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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