Indonesian Ambassador: Iran held one of the most democratic elections of the world

Indonesian ambassador to Iran stated that “the recent elections in Iran showed and everyone confirmed that Iran held one of the world’s most democratic elections.”
In an interview with Mehr ahead of the anniversary of Indonesia’s Independence Day, Dian Wirengjurit, the Indonesian ambassador to Iran mentioned the commonalities between Iran and Indonesia for striving for independence against imperialism and said: “Indonesia gained independence in 1945 and this victory was achieved through an extensive struggle against colonialism.”

Following is the full text of the interview:

Mehr: You talked about colonialism in the past, in the current century as well, we can see colonialism, how can an end be brought to this neo-colonialism?

Dian Wirengjurit: You’re right. Struggle against colonialism has not come to an end and we see that some countries are still colonized. For instance Palestine; I believe that Palestine today is a country which has been colonized and Indonesia supports Palestinians’ attempts to gain independence since our country has experience struggle against colonialism too.

Mehr: When and how did the relation between Iran and Indonesia- which have plenty of shared aims- start?

Dian Wirengjurit: Political and diplomatic relations between Iran and Indonesia formally started in 1950. However if we want to talk about the cultural ties between the two countries, such relations are a thousand years old and date back to the time when Islam was first introduced to Indonesia. In Sumatra Island, southern Indonesia, there is a grave on the walls of which there are sentences in Farsi; the writings are more than a thousand years old.

Mehr: How can these relations be developed?

Dian Wirengjurit: The existing capacities in the two countries should be worked on. The two countries have different capacities, for instance Iran possesses Oil and gas resources. Moreover petrochemical and agricultural products are a part capacities by which Iran-Indonesia ties can be expanded. Therefore we wish to have good ties with Iran, but despite these capacities, the level of economic ties between the two countries are below our expectations. For example in 2011, the level of business transactions between the two countries was $1800000000 which was reduced to $1500000000 in 2012 due to sanctions imposed on Iran by western countries. The sanctions made it difficult for Indonesia to trade with Iran.

However there is another option to develop relations between Iran and Indonesia and that is to change the perspectives of the two nations about one another. There are few people in Indonesia who know the truth about Iran and in your country (Iran) the situation is the same. Few Iranians know Indonesia well, but most of your people know Bali Island very well. By raising accurate awareness about the two countries and their existing capacities, contributions can be made to the development of relationships between Iran and Indonesia. Thus it is our duty to try to change the perspectives of the two nations about one another.

Mehr: What has been the effect of the western sanctions on Iran-Indonesia commercial relations?

Wirengjurit: These sanctions are mainly aimed at Iran’s nuclear program and in the next level they are aimed at restricting exports of Iranian products including oil and gas. These sanctions have caused problems for the buyers of Iran’s oil and gas. Since these sanctions are mainly focused on the oil and gas section and Indonesia meets a great part of its energy needs through other countries, we need to be careful with these sanctions.

Mehr: What is your opinion about the new government of Iran?

Wirengjurit: I congratulate you for the democratic elections in Iran and the victory of Mr. Hassan Rouhani as the new president of Iran. Iran’s elections proved that Iran is a democratic country and this has been confirmed by many countries including Indonesia. The recent elections in Iran showed and everyone confirmed that Iran held one of the world’s most democratic elections.