Brief History of the Diplomatic Representation of the Republic of Indonesia in Madrid

            The Republic of Indonesia established diplomatic relations with Spain in February 1976. The relationship was previously conducted by the accredited diplomatic representation of Indonesia in France with the Office in Paris. On that month, a team of Indonesian diplomats transferred from Jakarta to Madrid to prepare the opening of the Chancellery of the diplomatic seat.

            Temporarily, the Indonesian diplomats rented some rooms at the Hotel Melía Castilla and used them as offices before looking for a provisional site as Offices.

            A few days later, Air Marshall Boediardjo, ex-Minister of Information in the administration of General Soeharto, arrived in Madrid as the first ambassador and chief of the diplomatic mission accredited in the Kingdom of Spain. On February 23, 1976 he presented his credentials as Extraordinary Ambassador and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Indonesia in Spain to His Majesty King Juan Carlos I.

            On April 1, 1976, the chancellery of Indonesia was transferred from the hotel to a chalet located in Calle Lopez de Hoyos, 38, with 13 personnel including diplomats – the Ambassador and other diplomats representing the Political, Economy, Information and Cultural Services, Communications, Administration, the Private Secretary of the Head of the Mission and seven other local personnel.

            In the course of time and with the increasing workload & staff incorporation, the Chancellery moved to another chalet situated in a more tranquil area, in Calle Cinca 13. It was in 1979 when Mr. Soerodjo Sarni became the second ambassador.

            In 1983, while diplomatic relationships between both countries increased and with more personnel –in both diplomatic and contracted local staff – the third ambassador, Mr. Leon Harun Iskandar Soemantri, decided to look for a building as permanent seat. This was achieved in January 1984 when they found a building at Calle Emilio Vargas 7, the present official address of which is Calle Agastia 65. The building was owned by a company, Bioter Biona, a manufacturer of animal feed. The Jakarta government decided to buy part of the building, while the other part was bought by a Spanish company ENRESA (Empresa Nacional de Residuos Radioactivos, Sociedad Anónima).

            Since then the building became the permanent office of the Diplomatic Representation until the present date. The building has nine floors: six floors, a ground floor and two basements. The Assembly Hall is found on the ground floor with a huge floor space. The “Post IGGI Meeting” of June 1984 was held in this Hall.

            Through the years, the building suffered various aesthetical surgery and now sports a better image. The Assembly Hall on the ground floor has a miniature of the Buddhist temple Borobodur, donated by the Governor of Central Java, and a wooden carved image of Garuda, a gift from the Provincial Head of the Police of Bali.

            On the other hand, since the first ambassador Boediardjo in 1976, Wisma Duta, the official residence of the Head of the Mission, the Indonesian government had been renting a chalet in Calle Monte Alto 40, in the suburb of Montecillo, Húmera, a barrio in the municipality of Aravaca de Pozuelo de Alcorcón. In 1978, another chalet was rented in the same street which is presently number 44. Since 1981, the actual Wisma Duta has undergone several remodelling for improvement.

            Since 1976 until the present, the following ambassadors have led the Diplomatic Representation of Indonesia:

            The Honorary Consulate General of Indonesia with office in Barcelona was inaugurated in 1971. It also has an Honorary Consul General in the Las Palmas, Canary Islands, inaugurated by Ambassador Rachmat Ranudiwijaya last January 15, 2003.

The Honorary Consul Generals are as follows:

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