REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi said here on Wednesday that the relations between Indonesia and Saudi Arabia remained good despite recent tweets made by Saudi ambassador Osama bin Mohammed Abdullah Al Shuaibi about Nahdlatul Ulama (NU). Al Shuaibi's mistake of calling NU a heretic organization in his Twitter account recently had been discussed by Marsudi and her Saudi counterpart Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeit by phone on Tuesday.
"The Saudi foreign minister stated over phone that Saudi Arabia has no policy of and will not tolerate intervention in the internal affairs of a country," she told a number of news media.
Considering the good relations and communication between the two countries so far, al Shuaibi's tweet was regrettable as it was not correct and runs counter to principles of diplomatic relations.
"Moreover, it was done in a country that is friendly to Saudi Arabia, like Indonesia," she noted.
Marsudi added that the foreign office had summoned the deputy ambassador or temporary charge d'affairs of Saudi Arabia in Jakarta to clarify al Shuaibi's tweet. Al Shuaibi is still in Saudi Arabia.
Said Aqil Siradj, the general chairman of Nahdlatul Ulama, which is the largest Islamic organization in Indonesia, remarked that al Shuaibi has interfered in the internal political affairs of Indonesia through his tweet.
"He has made a big diplomatic violation, which is to interfere in the domestic political affairs beyond his authority," he revealed.
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