TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Jokowi talks economic ties with new foreign envoys
First impressions: Fourteen new foreign ambassadors wait their turn to present their credentials to President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on Wednesday
Change Size
F
irst impressions: Fourteen new foreign ambassadors wait their turn to present their credentials to President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on Wednesday. (Antara/Wahyu Putro A)
President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo received letters of credentials from 14 new ambassadors at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on Wednesday. The submission of the letters marked the commencement of the ambassadors’ official duties in Indonesia.
Ten of the new envoys are resident ambassadors, with four coming from Europe, including European Union Ambassador Vincent Piket, Dutch Ambassador Lambertus Christiaan Grijns, French Ambassador Olivier Chambard and Greek Ambassador Apostolos Baltas.
The six other resident envoys were Argentine Ambassador Gustavo Arturo Torres, Zimbabwean Ambassador Sophia Nyamudeza, Iranian Ambassador Mohammad Khosh Heikal Azad, Laotian Ambassador Phomma Sidsenna, Canadian Ambassador Cameron Mackay and Azerbaijani Ambassador Jalal Mirzayev.
The nonresident ambassadors were Sierra Leonean Ambassador Ernest Mbaimba Ndomahina, Montenegrin Ambassador Darko Pajovic, Nepali Ambassador Udaya Raj Pandey and Nigerien Ambassador Leko Ado.
Jokowi invited each of them for talks on the palace veranda after the submission ceremony to discuss bilateral issues. The ambassadors congratulated Jokowi on his second-term inauguration following his successful reelection bid in April.
The talks lasted about three to five minutes each and mostly explored strengthening Indonesia’s economic ties with the respective countries, Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi said.
“From all the talks, there was convergence on economic cooperation, particularly with the African countries as the President emphasized Indonesia’s foreign policy priority in Africa,” Retno said after accompanying Jokowi to the meetings.
She also pointed to the existing economic cooperation between Indonesia and some of the countries, including state-owned contractor Wijaya Karya’s renovation of Niger’s presidential palace and the recently signed joint development agreement between Jakarta and Vientiane for the construction of railways in Laos, among others.
Nepal’s new envoy reiterated the government’s desire to purchase additional CN 235-220 aircraft from state-owned aircraft manufacturer PT Dirgantara Indonesia following the arrival of a previous shipment to the country.
With regard to EU envoy Piket, Retno said the President reiterated his concerns about the palm oil trade, while also emphasizing the need to continue the negotiation process for the Indonesia-EU Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (I-EU CEPA).
In a statement released by the EU mission after the ceremony, Piket said he was “honored” to present his letter of credentials to Jokowi and looked forward to deepening “mutually beneficial” cooperation and “enhancing mutual understanding and friendship” with Indonesia.
Canadian Ambassador MacKay said in a separate statement that Indonesia was one of Canada’s important partners in the Asia-Pacific region, underscoring the two countries’ similarities in terms of geographical features and cultural diversity, among others.
The envoy reiterated the Canadian government’s desire to improve ties with Indonesia in areas such as trade, investment, education, development and peace building.
