Jakarta. President Prabowo Subianto on Tuesday received letters of credence from nine newly appointed ambassadors at the State Palace, a move that comes amid criticism from a former senior diplomat over delays in the accreditation of foreign envoys.

With the latest ceremony, a total of 17 ambassadors have formally presented their credentials to Prabowo over the past two days. The presentation of credentials marks the official start of an ambassador's diplomatic mission in Indonesia and is a key requirement before envoys can fully perform their duties.

The ceremony began with the playing of each country's national anthem as the ambassadors arrived at the palace.

The ambassadors then entered the credential hall one by one to present their letters of credence to the president.

The nine ambassadors were:

• Manuel Estuardo Roldan Barillas of Guatemala
• Sultan bin Mubarak Saad Al-Dosari of Qatar
• Abdirashid Salat Abdille of Kenya
• Ratu Isoa Delamisi Tikoca of Fiji
• Redouane Houssaini of Morocco
• Maria Gabriela Vieira Soares de Albergaria of Portugal
• Bernardo Brea Rodriguez of Panama
• Hong Kwang Il of North Korea
• Antonio Rodrigues Jose of Mozambique

After presenting their credentials, the ambassadors posed for official photographs with the president before gathering at the palace veranda for a reception.

The ceremony followed a similar event on Monday, when Prabowo received the credentials of ambassadors from South Korea, Palestine, the Czech Republic, the Philippines, Greece, Sri Lanka, Lebanon, and Saint Lucia.

The two-day series of ceremonies comes after former diplomat Dino Patti Djalal publicly raised concerns that a number of incoming ambassadors had been waiting for months to present their credentials, delaying the formal commencement of their diplomatic duties in Indonesia.