December 31, 2025 | 11:47 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia’s Ambassador to Ukraine, Arief Muhammad Basalamah, has received the St. Nicholas the Wonderworker Award from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church–Kyiv Patriarchate at a modest ceremony held at the Indonesian Embassy in Kyiv.
According to a statement received by Tempo on Wednesday, December 31, 2025, the award was presented on Tuesday by Oleksandr Kondratenko, founder of Kyiv Diplomatic Magazine, on behalf of His Beatitude Patriarch Filaret, Patriarch of Kyiv and All Ukraine.
Kondratenko said he had been entrusted by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to confer ecclesiastical honors on individuals deemed to have made significant contributions, including Ambassador Basalamah, for his role in strengthening diplomatic relations between Ukraine and Indonesia.
Within the tradition of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church–Kyiv Patriarchate, the St. Nicholas the Wonderworker Award is granted to individuals recognized for promoting spiritual values, humanitarian principles, and social welfare.
The honor may be bestowed on civilians as well as foreign diplomats who contribute to international dialogue and friendship.
In his remarks, Ambassador Basalamah emphasized that diplomacy extends beyond formal meetings and official documents, relying instead on shared humanitarian values such as trust, cultural understanding, and people-to-people relations.
He also expressed appreciation for the resilience, faith, and dignity of the Ukrainian people, noting that these values resonate with Indonesia’s long-standing commitment to tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
The award, the ambassador said, reflects Indonesia’s diplomatic approach, which places dialogue at the core of international relations. He also said Indonesia has consistently promoted interfaith dialogue as part of its soft diplomacy, in line with its role as a regional and global advocate for tolerance and peace.
The Indonesian Embassy in Kyiv is also actively pursuing practical cooperation between the two countries, particularly in education, by facilitating partnerships between universities, supporting academic and student exchanges, and exploring opportunities for research collaboration and capacity building in higher education.
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