The Palace Denies The Issue Of Minister Retno Resigning So The Reason Budi Arie Was Appointed As Foreign Minister Ad Interim

JAKARTA - Presidential Special Staff Coordinator Ari Dwipayana denied the appointment of the Minister of Communication and Information (Menkominfo) Budi Arie Setiadi as Minister of Foreign Affairs (Menlu) ad interim related to the issue of the resignation of Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi from cabinet ranks.

"It is clear that the ministers who are said to have resigned are focused on working, still working, Mrs. Sri Mulyani, Mr. Basuki today accompanied the President, then also Mrs. Retno at work, Mr. BKS (Budi Karya Sumadi) is working," said Ari when met by media crews at the Ministry of State Secretariat Building, Jakarta, Monday, January 22, confiscated by Antara.

Ari explained that the appointment of an interim ad minister is a mechanism that is usually applied if one of the ministers makes a working visit abroad.

Previously, the Minister of Home Affairs Tito Karnavian had also been appointed as Minister of Foreign Affairs ad interim when Retno traveled to four African countries in August 2023.

Ari emphasized that when the minister travels abroad, the temporary official who replaces must be equal to the minister.

"It has to be at the ministerial level, yes, if you make decisions, you usually take interim decisions," said Ari.

As is known, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi is on an official trip to New York, United States, to attend a UN Security Council meeting regarding the current situation in the Middle East, including Palestinian issues.

President Jokowi also appointed Minister of Communication and Information Budi Arie Setiadi as Minister of Foreign Affairs Ad Interim during Foreign Minister Retno's stay in the US on January 21-22, 2024.

According to Ari, the narrative that a number of ministers of the Advanced Indonesia Cabinet want to resign is not evident from the fact that the ministers are still carrying out their respective duties.

"What is mentioned as an issue or narrative of resigning never happened, and it can be seen from what events I think the ministers are all working to carry out their respective duties," he concluded.