Indonesian envoy to return to Australia after spying row
Indonesian ambassador says ministers have agreed on his return to Canberra in a move seen as a thawing of relations following revelations of spying by Australia
Indonesia said on Saturday it would send its ambassador back to Australia this month in a bid to normalise relations after a spying row that has soured ties between the two countries.
Indonesia recalled its ambassador in November in the wake of reports that the phones of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his inner circle had been targeted by Australian spies.
But tensions appeared to thaw as Indonesia announced its decision to return its envoy following a phone conversation between Yudhoyono and Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott earlier this week.
“The president and the foreign minister have thought for a while about my returning to Canberra and we plan that I return this May,” the ambassador, Nadjib Riphat Kesoema, told reporters.
“As we can see the president had spoken to the prime minister and indeed there are things deemed necessary for me to return to Canberra,” he added.
