By Stefanno Sulaiman and Stanley Widianto
JAKARTA, Oct 1 (Reuters) – Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto replaced his foreign minister with a career diplomat on Thursday, in his second change to a top post in his cabinet in less than three weeks.
Prabowo in a cabinet reshuffle named as foreign minister Arrmanatha Nasir, the ministry’s former permanent representative to the United Nations in New York, with the outgoing Sugiono appointed Human Development minister.
The appointment of Nasir, who was Sugiono’s deputy, is expected to mark a shake-up at the ministry.
It comes after Prabowo sacked his finance minister, Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa, on September 14, replacing him with his deputy, Suahasil Nazara, which investors welcomed as a move that could help restore confidence in the $1.5 trillion G20 economy after months of uncertain policymaking.
Analysts have said Sugiono’s foreign ministry had been sidelined as Prabowo played a more dominant role in foreign policy.
Keeping a low profile and hardly appearing in media, Sugiono was not a diplomat and came from Prabowo’s Gerindra party. State news agency Antara had described Sugiono as Prabowo’s “ideological child” and one of his most trusted aides.
Sugiono oversaw some notable foreign policy initiatives, including Indonesia’s entry into BRICS, the grouping of major emerging economies, and Jakarta’s decision to join US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace initiative for Gaza.
Indonesia also pledged troops to a proposed international stabilisation force for Gaza.
(Reporting by Stefanno Sulaiman and Stanley Widianto; Editing by John Mair)
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