27.768 Indonesian Citizens Returned Home Throughout 2025, Foreign Minister Sugiono: The State Cannot Be Absent
Jakarta - The protection of Indonesian citizens (WNI) was emphasized by Foreign Minister Sugiono as the main pillar of diplomacy, revealing Indonesia's success in repatriating 27,768 WNI from various crisis situations abroad throughout 2025.
In the 2026 Annual Press Statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Pejambon, Jakarta, Wednesday, January 14, Foreign Minister Sugiono said that repatriation included victims of armed conflicts to transnational crimes such as online fraud and online gambling.
"They only hope for one thing, to feel the presence and protection of their country," said Sugiono.
Furthermore, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia gave special attention to the role of Indonesian Representatives abroad. According to him, the work of protecting Indonesian citizens is often done in silence.
"Brothers may not be seen, not heard. But what is done shows that the state is present," he said.
In the midst of an increasingly unpredictable world, Sugiono assessed that the protection of Indonesian citizens is not merely a consular matter, but a measure of national resilience. Resilience, he said, cannot be borrowed and must be built from within.
"In the future, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will strengthen the readiness of representatives, early warning systems, and the digitization of services," he said.
The government also prioritizes the empowerment of the diaspora as a national resilience asset.
Sugiono revealed that a special unit was formed at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to coordinate diaspora policies, including the development of a single identity, a diaspora master number, and a single diaspora data.
The goal is to ensure that the role of the diaspora is recognized, valued, and optimized for national development.
'In an uncertain world, only strong countries on the inside will have bargaining power outside', said the Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs.