Veeramalla Anjaiah, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Nine new members of the diplomatic community in Jakarta submitted their letters of credence to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Tuesday.
In a simple ceremony at the State Palace, Yudhoyono received letters of credence from the ambassadors of Germany, Canada, Belgium, Chile, Hungary, Greece, Bulgaria, Jordan and North Korea.
The ceremony was also attended by Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda, State Secretary Yusril Ihza Mahendra and Cabinet Secretary Sudi Silalahi.
Germany's new ambassador Paul Freiherr von Maltzahn, a career diplomat who has degrees in law and political science, is an expert on Middle Eastern affairs.
Von Maltzahn, who joined the foreign service in 1970, became ambassador to Egypt in 2000.
During his 36-year diplomatic career, Ambassador Von Maltzahn has worked in Beirut, Paris, Damascus, Algiers, London, Cairo and Tehran .
Canada's new Ambassador to Indonesia John T. Holmes is a lawyer-turned-diplomat with expertise in human rights issues and international law.
After obtaining his LLB degree in law in 1982 from Canada's prestigious McGill University in Montreal, Holmes joined the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.
Thanks to his expertise in human rights issues and active involvement in drafting the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, Holmes received his first posting as ambassador, to Jordan, just 11 years after joining the foreign service. He has also worked in Bridgetown, Accra and New York.
Belgium has sent one of its younger career diplomats to Indonesia. Ambassador Trenteseau Marc, who has a master's degree in history, joined the Belgian foreign service in 1987.
During his 19-year diplomatic career, Ambassador Marc has worked in Strasbourg, Nairobi and at NATO headquarters in Brussels.
Prior to coming to Jakarta, Marc was Belgium's ambassador to Hungary.
After a gap of eight years, Bulgaria has upgraded its embassy in Indonesia by appointing a new ambassador, Boyko Hristov Mirchev, in line with the growing ties between the two countries.
Ambassador Boyko, who studied international relations at Moscow State Institute of International Relations from 1980 to 1988, is one of Bulgaria's top diplomats. He became an ambassador just eight years after joining the Bulgarian foreign service in 1988.
His first ambassadorial posting was in Seoul (1992-1996). Previously he worked in Kabul as an attach from 1988 to 1990. The 48-year-old diplomat speaks more than half a dozen languages, including Indonesian.
Another fluent Indonesian speaker is Hungary's new Ambassador to Indonesia Mihaly Illes.
Surprisingly, Illes learned Indonesian not in Indonesia but in Russia from 1989 to 1991.
Illes, a career diplomat, has worked in Ulaanbaatar, Vientiane and New Delhi. Prior to coming to Jakarta, he was Hungary's Ambassador to Mongolia.
Greece has sent one of its most experienced diplomats, Charalambos Christopoulos, to serve as its new ambassador to Indonesia.
Ambassador Christopoulos, a graduate of political and economic sciences, joined the foreign service in 1973. Since then he has worked in places like Belgrade, Munich, Caracas, Lagos and Ljubljana in various capacities at Greek diplomatic missions.
The 59-year-old diplomat wants to promote Greek literature in Indonesia.
""I would like to introduce Greek literature, including epics and mythology, to Indonesians,"" Christopoulos told The Jakarta Post recently.
Chile's new Ambassador to Indonesia Rolando Drago is also a career diplomat.
Ambassador Drago, who joined the foreign service in 1980, has worked in Peru, Greece, China, Singapore, Italy and South Africa.
Jordan's new Ambassador to Indonesia Mohammad Hassan Dawodieh is a veteran in politics as well as diplomacy.
Ambassador Dawodieh served as his country's minister of youth and sports (1996-97) and minister of political development and parliamentary affairs (2005-06).
Dawodieh, a noted journalist and writer in the Hashemite Kingdom, was appointed ambassador to Morocco in 1998. Prior to coming to Jakarta, he was Jordan's Ambassador to Greece.
North Korea, which is in the global spotlight over its nuclear program, has sent one of its top career diplomats, Jong Chun-kun, to be its new ambassador to Indonesia.
After obtaining a degree in international relations in 1971, Ambassador Jong immediately joined the foreign service. He has worked in Jordan, Egypt and Syria. His previous posting was as a director for policy planning at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Pyongyang.
