The Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia is a position within Indonesia's foreign ministry that oversees the administrative, structural, and personnel matters in the ministry. Directly responsible to the minister, the office is regarded as the most senior among other first-level echelons in the ministry. With an exception of a brief period between 1963 and 1966, the position has been in existence since 1949, making it the oldest senior position within the foreign ministry. The position is held by a career diplomat with the diplomatic rank of ambassador. The current officeholder is Denny Abdi, who has been in office since 17 September 2025.
Powers and responsibilities According to the Foreign Minister Decree No. 4 of 2025, the most recent decree which regulates the foreign ministry's organization and structure, the secretary general of the ministry of foreign affairs is responsible for coordinating the formulation of foreign policy, implementation of responsibilities, supervision, as well as providing administrative support to units and agencies within the foreign ministry.
History Two days after the proclamation of Indonesian Independence, on 19 August 1945 President Sukarno issued a decree which appointed Achmad Soebardjo as Indonesia's inaugural foreign minister, effectively forming the foreign ministry. As the ministry had no preceding structure in the prior colonial government, the ministry lacked any sort of organization, and Subardjo had to put up an advertisement to recruit staffers. The first administrative head of the ministry, Sudjono, bear the title of secretary and was appointed in a decree on 8 August 1945.
The post was upgraded to a secretary general sometime in 1946 with Utojo Ramelan being appointed for the post. He never assumed his duties in the post, as in 1947 he was sent to Singapore to head Indonesia's mission there. Pandu Suradhiningrat became the acting general secretary shortly afterwards. At the end of the Indonesian National Revolution in 1949, the Indonesian foreign ministry returned to Jakarta as part of the United States of Indonesia government. Mohammad Ichsan was appointed as the secretary general on 8 August 1949. The federal state soon dissolved and was absorbed by the unitarian Republic of Indonesia, and Ichsan retained the position.
On 12 July 1962, the post, alongside with its counterpart in other ministries, were abolished. The duties of the secretary general were transferred to the assistant foreign minister for organization and administration, with its officeholder being appointed on 1 January 1963. After the fall of Sukarno, the post of secretary general was re-established by President Suharto on 4 August 1966. The nomenclature has remained the same following consecutive reorganizations within the foreign ministry.
List With the exception of Darma Setiawan, all secretaries general have been ambassadors before or after their appointment.
+NoNameTook officeLeft officeRef.Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1945–1946)1Soedjono8 August 19451946Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1946–1963)2Oetojo Ramelan19461947 Pandu Suradhiningrat194719493Mohammad Ichsan8 August 19491 April 19514Darma Setiawan8 May 19517 March 1953† Sutan Mohammad Rasjid27 February 195320 March 19545Ruslan Abdulgani20 March 195424 March 1956 Subandrio27 March 195610 October 1956610 October 19569 April 1957 Tamzil12 April 195727 July 1957 Suwito Kusumowidagdo27 July 195714 February 1958714 February 19588 January 1963Assistant to the Foreign Minister for Organization and Administration (1963–1966)8Sudjarwo Tjondronegoro8 January 196331 June 19659Ganis Harsono1 July 196521 March 1966 Nugroho2 March 19663 August 1966Secretary General of the Ministry/Department of Foreign Affairs (1966–now)10Artati Marzuki-Sudirdjo4 August 19666 March 197211Ashari Danudirdjo6 March 197227 December 197712B. Sjahabuddin Arifin27 December 197723 October 198113 Soedarmono23 October 198120 July 198814Soewarno Danoesoetedjo20 July 198823 May 199515Abdul Irsan23 May 199530 November 199816Rahardjo Jamtomo30 November 19983 November 200017Arizal Effendi3 November 20003 May 200218Sudjadnan Parnohadiningrat3 May 200216 January 200619Imron Cotan16 February 2006July 2010 Triyono WibowoJuly 201018 October 201020Budi Bowoleksono18 October 201023 April 201421Kristiarto Legowo23 April 201424 May 201722Mayerfas24 May 201719 June 202023Cecep Herawan19 June 202024 July 2025 Heru Hartanto Subolo24 July 202517 September 202524Denny Abdi17 September 2025incumbent
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