VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Two aircraft, with flight code GA-7900 and GA-7700 and carrying humanitarian aid from Indonesia, arrived at the Hamid Karzai International Airport, Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, at 10 a.m. Afghanistan Time (AFT) and 11 a.m. AFT respectively.

Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi dispatched the planes at the Soekarno-Hatta Airport, Tangerang City, Banten Province, in the wee hours of Sunday Western Indonesia Standard Time (WIB).

The planes departed from the airport for Kabul in an eight-hour journey, the Indonesian Foreign Affairs Ministry informed in a written statement here on Monday.

The minister stated that the humanitarian assistance was a response to the alarming humanitarian situation in the South Asian country where some 23 million people are under the threat of starvation and over three million children are under the threat of malnutrition.

The aid was provided according to an assessment conducted by the World Food Program (WFP).

The Indonesian government will continue to strengthen its humanitarian diplomacy and strive to contribute to help people facing various alarming humanitarian situations all over the world.

“The safety and well-being of the Afghan people has always been Indonesia's priority. Hopefully, the assistance would ease the current burden of Afghan people," Marsudi remarked.

Regarding the assistance, Country Director for WFP in Indonesia Christa Rader lauded the Indonesian government for the assistance.

The aid demonstrates global solidarity in addressing the sufferings of Afghan people. The assistance will be coordinated by WFP in Afghanistan.

Earlier, Indonesia had emphasized the importance of respecting Afghan women's rights and empowering them at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Islamabad, Pakistan.

"In the near future, I will discuss the details of cooperation in education and women's empowerment in Afghanistan with Qatar and representatives from Afghanistan," the minister added. (Antaranews)