“This is not a religious conflict but joint contributions, including from religious leaders, are required to stop it,” VP Amin remarked during a meeting with Archbishop Ieronymos II in Athens, Greece, on Thursday at local time.
The vice president underscored the need for all parties in the world, including religious leaders, to make contributions to halt the hostilities between Palestinians and Israelis.
“Acts of violence must be stopped, a ceasefire must continue to be sought, and the distribution of humanitarian aid should be the main priority,” he emphasized.
Amin affirmed that Indonesia had strongly condemned the Israeli occupation forces’ indiscriminate attacks on Palestine’s Gaza Strip that have resulted in the deaths and destruction of thousands of civilians and their facilities.
During the meeting, Amin also drew attention to the similarities between Indonesia and Greece in preserving religious diversity.
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He then briefed the Greek religious leader on how Indonesia maintains harmony among people of different religions in society, saying that the country has been making the most of relevant governmental bodies as well as religious assemblies.
“We have the Religious Affairs Ministry that runs directorate generals of Islam, Catholicism, Protestantism, Hinduism, and Buddhism. Moreover, Indonesia is home to various religious assemblies that play a role in preventing and resolving conflicts,” he noted.
According to Amin, Indonesian and Greek society share a similar model in preserving harmony amid religious diversity.
He also expressed hope that the meeting with Archbishop Ieronymos II would bring goodness upon both countries, in addition to strengthening the concepts of peace and tolerance in statehood.
“I hope that this meeting will further solidify our joint commitment to promoting mutual understanding and encouraging mutually beneficial cooperation,” Amin concluded.
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