New EC and UN envoys meet Yudhoyono

Sat, 01/17/2009 5:32 PM  |  World

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono Friday received the letter of credence from the Head of the Delegation of the European Commission (EC) to Indonesia, Ambassador Julian Wilson, in a simple ceremony held at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta.

The EC is the executive arm of the 27-member European Union (EU), the world's most powerful and prosperous regional organization. Ambassador Wilson is also concurrently covering Brunei Darussalam from Jakarta.

"Supporting and growing the EU's relations with Indonesia and Brunei is my main responsibility," Wilson said in a statement sent to The Jakarta Post.

During the ceremony, Yudhoyono also received the letter of credence from the UN Resident Coordinator El-Mostafa Benlamih. Friday's credential ceremony drew considerable attention from the media because of the current EU ban on Indonesian airlines flying to Europe.

Wilson expressed optimism that the ban will be lifted in the near future after Indonesia takes the required measures to improve its air transportation safety.

Wilson, a British national and one of EC's rising stars, joined the regional grouping in 1993 as an officer working with accession negotiations with new EU member states.

During his 16 years as a diplomat, Wilson has worked in Afghanistan and Sri Lanka and became one of the few experts on South Asia at Brussels, the headquarters of the EU.

Prior to coming to Jakarta last year, Wilson was working as an ambassador and as the head of the EC Delegation to Sri Lanka and Maldives in Colombo.

The 49-year-old jovial diplomat was a former journalist at The Economist group in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He obtained his B.A. degree from the London University and his Masters in Business Administration from the London Business School. - JP

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