Indonesia urges Russia, Ukraine to de-escalate, return to negotiating table

Jakarta, February 24 (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Government has called upon Russia and Ukraine to prevent further escalations of hostilities and return to the negotiating table, according to Teuku Faizasyah, spokesman of the Indonesian Foreign Ministry. "First, (Indonesia) is concerned over the armed conflict escalating in Ukraine, which is very dangerous for the safety of the people and could affect peace in the region," Faizasyah said in a press conference here on Thursday. Indonesia called upon Russia and Ukraine to prevent escalations and resolve the conflict at the negotiating table, he said. "Third, (Indonesia) reemphasizes that every party should remain committed to holding negotiations and diplomacy to stop the conflict and give peaceful solutions a priority," the spokesman said, while announcing a four-point stance of Indonesia on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Indonesia will not stop offering assurances that peace is the best option, he added. The second point is that Indonesia stressed the importance of abiding by international law and the UN Charter to ensure the regional territorial integrity of a country and condemned any action that clearly violates a country's regional territory and sovereignty. "Indonesia has, on various occasions, emphasized respect for the integral territory of a country and the application of international law. How we define a region is a principle of respect for the sovereignty of a region," Faizasyah, concurrently Director General of Information and Public Diplomacy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said. The fourth point of Indonesia's statement on the Russia-Ukraine conflict is that the Indonesian Embassy has taken necessary steps to protect Indonesian citizens in Ukraine, in accordance with the contingency plan that has been prepared.