His Highness Tui Atua with Masiofo Filifilia pose for an official photograph with Ambassador Sriyono and wife Astuti Retno Widiati.

 

By Renate Rivers

Samoa’s Head of State has received and accepted the letters of credence for the latest diplomat to represent a foreign presence in the country.

The new Indonesian Ambassador to Samoa, His Excellency Mr Antonius Agus Sriyono, met with His Highness Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Efi at Tuaefu on Tuesday of last week, and presented his credentials, as well as letters of recall for his predecessor.

Samoa and Indonesia established diplomatic relations in 1980, and to this day, continue to work together through the Pacific Islands Forum and Post-Forum Dialogue process in the pursuit of common regional interests.

These regional interests link Samoa and Indonesia and, according to His Highness, is one of the contributing factors allowing for continued cordial relations between both nations.

“Through the United Nations and other international fora, our two countries have worked together to promote issues of mutual interest such as international peace and security.�?

On a more country-specific level of cooperation, Indonesia has supported technical development programs in Samoa since 1983.  As per His Highness, these programs include human resources and capacity building through training programs including those under the Framework of Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries.

Ambassador Sriyono pledged continued assistance from Indonesia, “for the benefit of Samoa and for the excellent relations of our two countries.�?

“I firmly believe that the existing relations still do not yet fully reflect our respective potentials,�? he added.

The ambassador made note of his intention to further “strengthen, broaden and deepen bilateral relations in various sectors.�?

Mr Sriyono graduated in 1981 from the University of Gadjah Mada in Yogyakarta majoring in International Relations.  An Indonesian post from 1985 to 1987 with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs ended with his appointment in 1987 as Third Secretary at the Indonesian Embassy in the Netherlands.  He eventually went on to assume the role of Head of Section in the Bureau of the Minister in the Foreign Ministry in 1991.  He had also served as First Secretary of the Permanent Mission of Indonesia to the United Nations in New York, and had been the Head of Division for the Directorate of International Organizations.

He also served as Minister Counsellor of the Indonesian Embassy to the Republic of Portugal from 2001 to 2004 and following that post, he served until 2008 as the Head of Bureau in the Bureau of Planning and Organisation at the Foreign Ministry.

His Excellency is concurrently the Ambassador of Indonesia to New Zealand and is based in Wellington.

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