Trade Minister Muhammad Lutfi gestures during a press conference in Jakarta on Jan. 11, 2021. Lutfi was Indonesia's ambassador to the United States based in Washington, DC until December 2020. - Courtesy of the Trade Ministry
JAKARTA (The Jakarta Post/ANN): When a country recalls its ambassador from a foreign post, it is usually to express displeasure or protest with the host country. But in the case of Indonesia and the United States, the stakes are not always so straightforward.
Earlier this week, the US Embassy in Jakarta confirmed that Ambassador Sung Kim, who had just presented his credentials to President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo in October, was vacating the post. He had been called upon to serve as acting US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs under the new US administration under Joe Biden.