“Our history shows that when we take sides with one bloc of power, our society becomes divided,” he said during an exclusive interview with ANTARA here on Thursday.
He made the statement in response to concerns that Indonesia may align with one of the global power blocs after officially becoming a member of BRICS.
BRICS is a group of economies consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. The group has now expanded into BRICS+ with the inclusion of several new member countries, including Indonesia.
Sugiono explained that Indonesia’s decision to become a BRICS member was part of the country’s free and active foreign policy.
He emphasized that prior to joining BRICS, Indonesia was a member of APEC, and currently, it is in the process of acceding to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
He also underlined that Indonesia’s decision to join BRICS was made after long and thorough deliberation, adding that BRICS also voices the interests of developing countries in the Global South.
In addition, Sugiono conveyed that President Prabowo Subianto wants Indonesia to be a “good neighbor” to other countries.
“To be a good neighbor means we want to build relationships with other countries based on mutual respect and grounded in our national interest,” he explained.
To that end, he said that the Foreign Ministry is continuing to communicate intensively with friendly countries to deepen ties.
At the 2025 BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, President Prabowo and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva agreed to promote the spirit of the Bandung Asian-African Conference to push progress in developing countries.
President da Silva also acknowledged Indonesia’s historic role in igniting the spirit of Global South countries since the holding of the Bandung conference in 1955.
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Translator: Cindy, Kenzu
Editor: Primayanti
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