D

iplomacy is the art of maintaining dialogue and cordiality beyond necessarily diverging interests. To convey its opinions, a political entity needs someone to personify its standpoints as ambassador. Ambassadors know their missions are temporary, but as with many things, the longer you spend somewhere, the less you might want to leave.

Four ambassadors posted in Jakarta are due to bid farewell to Indonesia.

Enna Viant Valdes has been representing Cuba in Jakarta for the last four years and will soon be returning to Havana. She described her feelings about leaving Jakarta as '€œa mix of sadness and happiness'€. '€œI hope my tenure helped improve ties between our two countries,'€ she told The Jakarta Post during a farewell lunch on Friday in Jakarta.

 Dato Paduka Mahmud Haji Saidin, Brunei Darussalam'€™s envoy, gave a moving speech in which he revealed that he only learned two weeks ago, much to his surprise, that his tenure would soon come to an end. '€œI could not sleep for one night'€, he said, then jokingly asked his colleagues to stage a rally at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in protest at his removal.

Having been in office for five years, he will '€œmiss everything: people, places, colleagues, food, furniture,'€ he told the Post.

Mexican Ambassador to Indonesia Melba Pria has served for seven years, making her one the most senior envoys in Jakarta'€™s diplomatic circle. She gave a brief account of her years in Jakarta during the lunch but then went on to present her own rendition of the song '€œIf It Wasn'€™t For Your Love'€ by Heather Headley.

She was pleased to witness two presidential visits during her time in Jakarta, as well as an increase of 30 percent in mutual trade. Having served in Israel and China, the seasoned diplomat will now take over in India.

Olof Skoog, returning head of the European Union delegation, was represented by his wife, Swedish Ambassador to Indonesia Johanna Brismar Skoog. Skoog is a Swedish diplomat who was seconded to the EU, has been appointed to Indonesia since July 2013. He will soon serve as Swedish UN ambassador in New York. '€œHe doesn'€™t see himself as leaving Indonesia, it is more like he will commute back and forth'€ said his wife, referring to the future trips he will make to Indonesia to visit her and his friends.

Acting dean of the diplomatic corps, Fariz Mehdawi, ambassador of the State of Palestine, who has been serving here for eight years, said the diplomatic corps worked like an informal association for envoys in Jakarta.

'€œWe meet and build relationships. After all, despite our differences we all serve the same goals. There are about 120 foreign representations in Jakarta. I have seen this community expand in the last few years since Indonesia continues to engage more with the world,'€ Mehdawi said.

Also attending the event was Georgios Veis, Greek ambassador to Indonesia who was supposed to see his mission end this month and take a new posting in Congo. But things have changed following the election of a new government led by radical-left coalition Syriza, which decided to freeze all positions of Greece'€™s envoys around the globe. Veis, a prolific writer, is likely to remain in Indonesia for two more years.

'€œMy wife [Clara Pek Veis, an Indonesian artist] and I are happy to stay,'€ he said.