Ambassador To Report Brazil Incident To President Jokowi On Tuesday

Jakarta (Antara Bali) - Indonesian Ambassador-designate to Brazil Toto Riyanto will report to President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo on Tuesday about the credential letter postponement incident that took place in Brazil.

"The meeting was scheduled today (Tuesday). He (Ambassador Riyanto) will be received by President Jokowi soon. Of course, he will explain the incident to him," Vice Foreign Affairs Minister A.M. Fachir stated here on Tuesday.

Indonesian ambassador-designate to Brazil Toto Riyanto had been officially invited by the Brazilian government to submit his credential letter to President Dilma Rousseff on Friday (February 20).

However, when he arrived at the presidential palace after being received following official protocol, he was informed that the ceremony was postponed.

The Indonesian government believes that this incident is related to its plan to execute the death penalty granted to Rodrigo Gularte, a Brazilian national who was convicted in 2005 after being arrested for smuggling 6 kilograms of cocaine concealed inside his surfboard.

 Despite the ambassador being recalled as a mark of protest, Fachir said the mission representative of the Indonesian Embassy in Brasilia was functioning normally.

 "In terms of service, everything is working in normal condition, such as the issuance of visas and so on. The mission representative is still operating as we have a charge d' affaires in Brazil," he explained.

Earlier, on Monday evening (Feb. 23), Ambassador Riyanto arrived in Jakarta and had reported about the incident to Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi.

Ambassador Riyanto emphasized that the foremost thing he plans to do after reporting the incident to the minister was to meet the president to explain about the matter.

 "I will continue with the process, and I will follow the minister's instruction," he noted. (WDY)