By Ankit Panda
North Korea wants Indonesia to potentially advocate on its behalf on the world stage.
Indonesia may have a much larger role to play in North Korea’s international diplomacy, including potentially helping mediate a return to the Six Party Talks.
As Zach reported a few days ago, North Korea dispatched its foreign minister to Southeast Asia for a “charm offensive” of sorts. North Korea Foreign Minister Ri Su-yong visited five Southeast Asian nations and attended the 2014 ASEAN Regional Forum in Napyidaw, Myanmar. Perhaps one of his most interesting stops on this tour was in Indonesia, where he presented a “concrete proposal” to Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, which addressed, among other topics, a possible resumption of the Six-Party Talks on North Korea’s nuclear program. Although details are scant, reports suggest that Indonesia may act as an intermediary between North Korea and the United States, China, Russia, Japan, and South Korea (the other five parties to the talks). Indonesia has positive relations with each of these countries. The proposal allegedly addresses “the issue of nuclear proliferation, the issue of ballistic missile launches, [and] the issue of military exercises,” according to Marty.
“During the discussion, I received one very specific, concrete proposal from the [North Korean] side for us to communicate to the other side,” the Indonesian foreign minister told the press. “The other side,” although not explicitly clarified by Marty, likely refers to not only to the South Koreans, but the remaining four powers involved in the Six-Party Talks. That North Korea would take such a proposal to Indonesia is further evidence that the relationship between Pyongyang and Beijing has frayed in the past year. Kim Jong-un’s execution of regime number two and uncle Jang Song-thaek late last year suggested that relations between the two countries had taken a turn for the worse. Marty suggested that Indonesia was interested in pursuing the proposal and would “try to create a new momentum to reduce the tensions in the area.”
Read the full story at The Diplomat