archive: President Jokowi, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi and a number of Indonesian ambassadors. ANTARA FOTO

Ambassadors are urged to not solely focus on cooperation in the political and security fields but also deepen economic diplomacy for the realization of productive cooperation.

An observer of Economy and Foreign Diplomacy Gerry Hukubun noted in his statement on Tuesday that in accordance with the Constitutional mandate, the ambassador, as an envoy of peace, should establish and maintain sound bilateral relations between both nations.

"That is an absolute must that all ambassadors should carry out. However, his role is not solely restricted to being an envoy of peace but also more likely in the political and security fields. However, the ambassador’s role should transcend merely maintaining peaceful relations," he remarked.

Hukubun noted that bilateral relations are also international ties between the two countries in various fields, including politics, culture, and economics.

"The ambassador’s role at this time must be more focused on the economic field. This is especially important in the midst of the current face-paced technological advancements. Of course, we do not want to be left behind other countries that can capitalize on the development of this era," he stated.

He remarked that President Joko Widodo had realized that if the diplomatic role were to be further enhanced, then economic growth resulting from the cooperation between the countries would be even more advanced than before.

Hukubun believed that the ambassador was actually a career and a political position, for which he/she was tasked with serving as an investment or export ambassador.

"A person's talent in fulfilling a task that has an impact on economic growth is more suitable if that individual is talented in terms of marketing and harbors an entrepreneurial spirit," he pointed out.

In a transparent technological era such as this, he suggested President Joko Widodo be more selective and appoint ambassadors, with entrepreneurial spirit and productive marketing skills.

"In this way, the ambassador's role will be more effective as an investment and export ambassador," he stated.

Currently, several nations can potentially boost economic cooperation with Indonesia by attracting investment and opening up export opportunities from Indonesia to these countries. (ANTARA)