Achmad Rizal Purnama

Achmad Rizal Purnama (born 19 February 1976) is an Indonesian diplomat currently serving as the Ambassador of Indonesia to Turkey. Prior to his ambassadorship, he served as the director for Middle East and chief of staff to the foreign minister.

Early life and education Achmad was born on 19 February 1976 in Jakarta. He holds a degree in international law, which he earned in 1999 from Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt. He furthered his education by obtaining a Master's degree in middle eastern studies from the University of Indonesia.

Diplomatic career Achmad began his career at the foreign ministry in 2002. His first assignment after completing his diplomatic course was at the directorate of public diplomacy, where he served from 2004 to 2006. From January 2007 to January 2010, he was posted to the economic section of the permanent mission to the United Nations in New York, where he was responsible for matters relating to economic development and environment with the rank of third secretary. During his posting in Washington, he played a vital role in lifting the US military embargo on the Kopassus, which was announced by US Secretary of State John F. Kerry in October 2014. He was also involved in President Joko Widodo's official visit to the US in October 2015, which resulted in the upgrade of the US-Indonesia partnership to a strategic partnership and the signing of strategic documents on defense and maritime cooperation, along with a business deal worth $21 billion. Following reorganizations within the foreign ministry, Achmad took on additional role as the acting chief of staff to foreign minister Retno Marsudi, known officially as the chief of strategic support bureau. He was permanently appointed to the post in July 2020, where he provided strategic policy recommendations and was involved in policymaking. In this position, he was involved in handling Indonesia’s G20 Presidency in 2022 and its ASEAN Chairmanship in 2023, where he led the drafting of statements for the president and the foreign minister. After passing an assessment by the house of representative's first commission the next month, he officially assumed office on 26 June 2023. He presented his credentials to the President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on 17 January 2024.

Personal life Achmad Rizal Purnama is married to Elin Jumaeliah and has one daughter and two sons.