17 Foreign Ambassadors Submit Credentials to President Prabowo

President Prabowo Subianto has officially received letters of credentials from 17 ambassadors of friendly nations at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta. The submission of these credentials had previously been delayed. Yesterday, the Head of State accepted credentials from eight Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary (LBBP). Today, Tuesday, 9 June 2026, Prabowo received the remaining nine. Citing a press statement from the Presidential Secretariat, the handover of these credentials marks the official commencement of the ambassadors’ duties in Indonesia. The credential presentation ceremony began with an official welcome for the ambassadors at Merdeka Palace. Upon arrival, the national anthem of each country was played. Subsequently, the ambassadors took turns entering the credential room to submit their letters of confidence to Prabowo. On the occasion, President Prabowo directly received the official documents signifying the start of the ambassadors’ diplomatic missions in Indonesia. ‘Traditionally, during the credential ceremony, each ambassador submits their letter of credentials, followed by an informal reception. That is the standard format,’ said Deputy Foreign Minister Arif Havas Oegroseno during a press conference at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Tuesday afternoon. The ambassadors who submitted their credentials to President Prabowo today included the Designate Resident Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Guatemala for Indonesia, Manuel Estuardo Roldan Barillas; the Designate Resident Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the State of Qatar for Indonesia, Sultan bin Mubarak Saad Al-Dosari; the Designate Resident Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Kenya for Indonesia, Abdirashid Salat Abdille; and the Designate Resident Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Fiji for Indonesia, Ratu Isoa Delamisi Tikoca. Also present were the Designate Resident Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Morocco for Indonesia, Redouane Houssaini; the Designate Resident Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Portugal for Indonesia, Maria Gabriela Vieira Soares de Albergaria; the Designate Resident Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Panama for Indonesia, Bernardo Brea Rodriguez; the Designate Resident Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea for Indonesia, Hong Kwang Il; and the Designate Resident Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Mozambique for Indonesia, Antonio Rodrigues Jose. A day prior, eight ambassadors who submitted their credentials were Sri Lanka’s Ambassador for Indonesia, Sumadhurika Sashikala Premawardhane; the Philippines’ Ambassador for Indonesia, Christopher Baltazar Montero; South Korea’s Ambassador for Indonesia, Yoon Soongu; and the Czech Ambassador for Indonesia, Petr Kopiva. The others were Palestine’s Ambassador for Indonesia, Abdalfatah Ahmed Khalil Alsattari; Greece’s Ambassador for Indonesia, Dimitrios Michalopoulos; Lebanon’s Ambassador for Indonesia, Salam Al Achkar; and Saint Lucia’s Ambassador for Indonesia, Menissa Rambally. The lengthy wait for the ambassadors to present their credentials to President Prabowo was previously criticised by Dino Patti Djalal, a former Deputy Foreign Minister under President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. According to Dino, these 17 ambassador-designates had been waiting for months for their turn to submit their credentials. Dino noted that one diplomat waited up to eight months, warning that this situation could harm Indonesia’s diplomatic image.