Alwaght- The United States has embarrassed the Indonesian army commander after denying him entry to the country despite an official invitation to visit Washington and meet his counterpart.
Following the humiliating incident, the Indonesian Foreign Ministry said Sunday that it has asked for clarification from the US over denying entry to army commander General Gatot Nurmantyo and his wife. They were scheduled to attend a conference to be held on Monday and Tuesday in Washington DC upon invitation from the Commander of the Armed Forces of the United States, Gen. Joseph F Durford, Jr. According to local media, the delegation had arranged to depart from Jakarta on Saturday afternoon with an Emirates flight.
However, shortly before departure, there was a notice from the airline that Nurmantyo and his wife had been refused entry by the US Custom and Border Protection.
Indonesian Foreign Ministry spokesman Arrmanatha Nasir told Anadolu Agency that his country's embassy in the US has sent diplomatic notes to the State Department for clarification.
"The Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Washington DC has sent a diplomatic note to the US Foreign Ministry asking for clarification regarding the incident," said Nasir.
The Indonesian Foreign Ministry also summoned the US ambassador in Jakarta on Monday to provide an explanation.
The ministry’s spokesman Arrmanatha Nasir earlier said Indonesia’s embassy in Washington was to send a diplomatic note to the US secretary of state demanding explanation for the incident.
The degrading treatment has ignited anger across Indonesia, the world’s biggest Muslim-majority country, where anti-US sentiments run high among the general population.
