“Throughout 2025, Indonesia brought home 27,768 citizens from various crisis situations,” he said, citing evacuations from armed conflicts as well as cases involving transnational crimes such as online scams and illegal gambling.
Speaking during his annual press statement in Jakarta on Wednesday,
Sugiono said Indonesia’s foreign policy is driven by the needs of its people, national interests and the state’s responsibility to remain present in safeguarding citizens wherever they are.
He said protecting Indonesian citizens abroad remains a central pillar of the country’s diplomacy, in line with the 1945 Constitution’s mandate to protect all Indonesians.
The minister described citizen protection efforts by the Foreign Ministry as a key measure of national resilience, reflecting the extent to which the state is willing and able to defend its people.
“Diplomacy is a state instrument to ensure people are safe, prosperous and protected amid an increasingly uncertain global environment,” Sugiono said, adding that the scale of repatriations in 2025 demonstrated the government’s commitment to fulfilling its constitutional obligation to protect Indonesians at home and abroad.
Sugiono said his ministry would continue strengthening protection mechanisms, including by expanding international cooperation and improving the readiness of Indonesian diplomatic missions to handle emergencies.
He added that the ministry would reinforce early warning systems to anticipate potential crises and further digitalize services for Indonesians living or working overseas.
Sugiono expressed appreciation to Indonesian embassies and consulates that played direct roles in securing the release of citizens, resolving legal and welfare cases, and arranging safe returns.
He also stressed the importance of empowering the Indonesian diaspora, describing overseas communities as contributors to development and strategic assets for national resilience.
To support this, the Foreign Ministry has established a dedicated diaspora unit and launched initiatives including a Diaspora Identification Number and a unified One Diaspora Data system.
Translator: Nabil Ihsan, Raka Adji
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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