RIYADH: The Indonesian embassy hosted a cultural reception to mark the 77th anniversary of the republic’s independence. Ambassador of Indonesia Abdul Aziz Ahmad and his wife, Lilis Nurul Husna, welcomed their guests of honor and kicked off the celebrations on Thursday evening. The ambassador told Arab News: “This night is an expression of our independence. For us, independence is very important since we have had very long colonial periods, and this moment is very special for our nation.” Celebrations at the embassy were pushed back to November, but the official independence day for Indonesia is Aug. 17. The ambassador began by making a speech to welcome guests and stress the importance of independence day. The event featured decorated booths serving many Indonesian dishes, live music, and performances from the students of the Indonesian School of Riyadh playing the angklung, a traditional instrument. The guests of honor were the Governor of Riyadh Region Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz, and His Excellency the Undersecretary of the Emirate of Riyadh Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al-Sudairy. The ambassador later discussed the importance of celebrating the independence of Indonesia alongside diplomats in Saudi Arabia. He said: “We would like to announce to the whole world that we are an independent nation and we want to bring prosperity, not only to us but to the rest of the world. “We want to bring the world together in a very good manner: We can collaborate and cooperate together as nations in order to achieve these ideas.” He stressed the importance of bringing leaders together to mark the celebration of prosperity and collaboration. He added that relations between Indonesia and the Kingdom were about “friendship and very good ties; it’s old and traditional ties.” It was the first major event hosted by the embassy following the ending of COVID-19 restrictions, with many diplomats and public figures celebrating the occasion.