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Jokowi to brief RI envoys on diplomacy

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo is scheduled to gather and brief the country’s 132 heads of mission from all over the world on how to carry out his foreign policy agenda in the next five years, which will focus on upholding the country’s sovereignty, economic diplomacy and improving protection for Indonesian citizens overseas

Ina Parlina (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Sat, January 31, 2015

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Jokowi to brief RI envoys on diplomacy

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resident Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo is scheduled to gather and brief the country'€™s 132 heads of mission from all over the world on how to carry out his foreign policy agenda in the next five years, which will focus on upholding the country'€™s sovereignty, economic diplomacy and improving protection for Indonesian citizens overseas.

Deputy Foreign Minister AM Fachir and a number of high-ranking Foreign Ministry officials briefed Jokowi on Friday at the Presidential Palace in final preparations for the event, which is scheduled to kick off on Feb. 2.

'€œThe objective is how priorities in the country'€™s diplomacy can be translated into action by the heads of mission, consistent with the vision and mission of the President,'€ Fachir said after the meeting.

Fachir said that Jokowi expected the country'€™s heads of mission overseas to be hands-on marketers, finding opportunities to promote the country.

Jokowi is expected to present his guidelines before the heads of mission, including ambassadors, and ministry officials during the event.

The Foreign Ministry is also expected to invite a number of relevant ministers, including the coordinating maritime affairs minister; the defense minister and Indonesian Military chief; coordinating economic minister; trade minister; the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM); manpower minister; and the Agency for the Placement and Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (BNP2TKI), to present guidelines relevant to the three issues and to hold discussions with the envoys.

Jokowi, who is pushing his maritime vision, has imposed the stern measure of sinking foreign ships caught illegally fishing, raising concerns among many neighboring countries.

His policy of executing drug convicts has also created diplomatic complications in recent weeks.

Indonesia has executed six drug traffickers, five of whom were foreign nationals, a move that has resulted in protests from the countries whose citizens were executed, as well as human rights defenders.

Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi has repeatedly said that her office will maintain communication with other countries to convey the message that the executions are only to enforce the existing law in the country.

Retno has also said the government has committed to improving its presence on the country'€™s borders, a goal which is in line with Jokowi'€™s previous statement that his administration was focused on employing a welfare approach on the country'€™s borders amid a number of unresolved border issues with some neighboring countries.

As president, Jokowi has visited several border areas in the country, including an area in West Kalimantan that borders with Malaysia; an area in East Nusa Tenggara that borders Timor Leste; and Sebatik Island '€” the closest island to the Malaysian border.

During his visit to West Kalimantan, Jokowi promised to launch a large development project in the border area, starting from Entikong, which has become an official border-crossing between Indonesia and Malaysia, in a move aimed to totally convert the area.

Jokowi used diplomacy deemed as straightforward during his visit to Beijing, his first official overseas excursion since taking office. At that time, during a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit, Jokowi directly requested that China bolster economic ties through concrete actions, including the involvement of Chinese state companies in the development of Indonesia'€™s infrastructure.

In the planned meeting next week, Fachir said, the ministry would also discuss bureaucratic reform in the ministry as one of the ways to boost its performance.

Ganewati Wuryandari, an international relations expert from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) applauded Jokowi'€™s move to turn the country'€™s heads of missions into marketers for the country.

'€œThey should learn how to be marketers, but at the same time, they should be able to represent the country and its foreign policy,'€ she said.

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