"By expressing my thankfulness and gratitude to all my colleagues, Praise be to God, Lord of all the worlds, I conclude my tenure as president director of ANTARA News Agency for the 2016-2023 period," he stated at the agency's handover ceremony here.
At the ceremony, Suryodiningrat expressed gratitude for all contributions and support from ANTARA News Agency colleagues during his seven-year tenure.
"While I was president director, I fully realized that everything we achieved in seven-and-a-half years is due to guidance, and there are also the roles of the directors and the hard work of ANTARA's colleagues nationwide," he remarked.
He then sought forgiveness from all ANTARA colleagues, especially the agency executive, for deficiencies during his term.
Suryodiningrat expressed gratitude for the friendship with colleagues in ANTARA and the opportunity to improve the national news agency.
He also appealed for unity and togetherness in the news agency to achieve future success.
"My last message to my ANTARA colleagues: The special criteria to work in ANTARA is sincerity, as benefits and others that we receive are merely its outcomes; our office is also merely a consequence," he stated.
President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) earlier inaugurated 12 new ambassadors extraordinary and plenipotentiary, including Suryodiningrat, at the Merdeka Palace here on Monday (June 26).
Suryodiningrat is appointed Ambassador to Romania accredited to the Republic of Moldova. He is the 14th figure from ANTARA News Agency to be appointed as an ambassador.
Prior to his tenure in ANTARA, Suryodiningrat had been serving as Editor-in-Chief of The Jakarta Post for six years as well as a member of the board of directors of PT Bina Media Tenggara, the publisher of the Post.
Apart from pursuing a career in journalism for over 18 years, Suryodiningrat also once worked as an analyst at a strategic consulting firm in Jakarta that deals with the government and society.
He received a bachelor's degree in political science and history from Carleton University in Ottawa and a master's degree at Dalhousie University as well as served as a fellow researcher at Harvard University.
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Translator: Siti Nurhaliza, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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