Oz Ambassador bids farewell to SBY

Outgoing Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Bill Farmer paid Monday a farewell call to Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at the Presidential Office in Jakarta.

Farmer, who has been working in Indonesia since 2005, said Indonesians and Australians were “natural friends” who had been working well together and cooperating in many areas, including development, the promotion of international relations and cooperations, democracy, sustainable fisheries and disaster
management.

“I've found my time here to be both incredibly rewarding professionally and very very pleasing personally,” he told a press conference after the meeting with the Indonesian President.

Farmer added he was honored that Yudhoyono had been willing to receive him in the farewell call, saying that the latter was widely respected in Australia.

He also specifically addressed the Indonesian media, saying he enjoyed dealing with them despite the “often very difficult questions”.

Indonesia presidential spokesman Dino Patti Djalal said Farmer was one of most popular foreign ambassadors to Indonesia, and that he was an Australian Ambassador working longest in the archipelago.

“During the farewell call, President (Yudhoyono) expressed his gratitude for all Ambassador Farmer has done in building the relationship with Indonesia during his stay here, especially in helping establish the comprehensive partnership between Indonesia and Australia,” Dino said.

“The close personal relationship between President Yudhoyono with former prime minister John Howard and now with Kevin Rudd is also due to firm effort of Bill Farmer. The President thanks him as, with his diplomatic skills, Bill Farmer has helped Indonesia and Australia cope with difficult times during the course of their relationship,” he added.