Jakarta – The Indonesian Minister of Human Rights (HAM) Natalius Pigai expressed his appreciation for the performance of the Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs (Menlu) Sugiono. Pigai believes that Sugiono has succeeded in bringing Indonesian diplomacy to a better level and is increasingly being considered on the international stage. This appreciation also responds to the criticism of the former Indonesian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs (Wamenlu) Dino Patti Djalal. According to Pigai, appreciation of Foreign Minister Sugiono’s performance was also conveyed directly by the ambassadors and diplomats he met during his visit to Doha, Qatar. Pigai revealed that a number of ambassadors and diplomats assessed that Sugiono’s leadership at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs showed a much stronger performance compared to the previous period. This is reflected in the improvement in Indonesia’s bargaining position and image in the eyes of the international world. Scroll TO CONTINUE CONTENT “The ambassadors and diplomats told me that the performance of diplomacy under the leadership of Minister of Foreign Affairs Sugiono was much better than before. Indonesia is now truly seen by the world, no longer marginalized as they felt in the past,” Pigai said in a written statement on Monday (202/52/2021). Furthermore, Pigai assessed that Sugiono’s leadership was able to deliver substantive diplomacy that was focused on national interests. He said that this achievement is proof that Indonesia is currently experiencing a process of progress and ‘upgrading’ in international relations, both in terms of foreign policy and strategic position in global forums. In his statement, Pigai also compared Sugiono’s performance with the previous foreign minister. According to him, the performance of diplomacy in the previous period was deemed unable to bring significant progress to Indonesia’s position at the world level. Pigai also touched on Dino’s criticism against Sugiono and assessed that this criticism did not have a significant impact. “I appreciate the criticism that Mr. Dino conveyed. Unfortunately, however, this criticism does not have a significant impact,” Pigai said. “Under the leadership of Minister Sugiono, real progress has been seen in Indonesia’s position,” he concluded. (acn/ega)