Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif have had a phone call discussing their plans to travel to Tehran, Iran, to help de-escalate tensions in the Middle East amid US-Israel attacks on Iran.
Jimly Asshiddiqie, Chief Advisor at the Indonesian Muslim Intellectuals Association (ICMI), said President Prabowo revealed the telephoned discussion during a gathering with Islamic clerics and scholars at the Presidential Palace, Jakarta, on Thursday night (March 5).
"He (the president) said he had spoken with the prime minister of Pakistan in a phone call before this meeting," Asshiddiqie told the media after attending the meeting.
He added that President Prabowo confirmed the Pakistani leader's eagerness to join him in Tehran to advocate for restraint amid mounting security concerns among Gulf states.
Elaborating further, he underlined that the president's intention is not to persuade Iran to condone the killing of its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but simply to "prevent escalation" in the region.
The ICMI representative emphasized that Prime Minister Sharif had welcomed President Prabowo’s initiative, adding, “The two leaders plan to travel to Tehran together.”
He argued that both Indonesia and Pakistan, as two of the largest non-Arab Muslim countries, have the potential to play a constructive role in restoring stability and security in the Gulf region, particularly since five countries there are “politically involved” in the Iran-Israel-US war.
“Despite the seemingly unfavorable odds, Indonesia and Pakistan should try to broker peace,” he said.
Asshiddiqie said President Prabowo’s initiative was also appreciated by many figures participating in the gathering at the palace.
In an official statement, Prime Minister Sharif described his conversation with President Prabowo as “very productive.”
He noted that the two leaders exchanged views on developments in the Middle East as well as Pakistan’s recent conflict with Afghanistan.
“We agreed to maintain close coordination over the next few days to jointly advocate for peace and stability in the region,” he said.
