President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has said Indonesia has offered to host the anticipated meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un this May.
“We are offering, if there is a meeting plan between Leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump, it can be held here in Indonesia,” Jokowi said on Monday after meeting the envoys from North and South Korea.
South Korean Ambassador Kim Chang-beom and North Korean Ambassador An Kwang Il met Jokowi at the Presidential Palace.
The North Korean diplomat promised to deliver Jokowi’s offer to Kim Jong Un.
Jokowi, accompanied by Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, said he could not confirm whether the offer would be accepted. “We still don’t know, he [An Kwang Il] still has to deliver it there first,” Jokowi said.
Furthermore, Jokowi has also suggested Indonesia could play the role of mediator between South Korea and North Korea. Jokowi said if North Korea and South Korea needed a neutral place to follow up the peace deal, Indonesia was ready to host the two countries.
He said Indonesia strongly supported the peace talks between the two countries. For Indonesia, reconciliation between South and North Korea means the creation of a conducive climate in the region so that countries can focus on trade. “Our region is becoming more peaceful, and we can all concentrate on infrastructure development and development in the economic sector,” Jokowi said.
