French President Emmanuel Macron was welcomed with military honors by his Indonesian counterpart Prabowo Subianto today at the "Merdeka" palace in the capital Jakarta, the Associated Press reported, BTA reports.
Indonesia is the second stop on Macron's tour of Southeast Asia, after his visit to Vietnam. As part of the tour, he will also visit Singapore.
The main goal of the visit, in which the French president is accompanied by his wife Brigitte Macron, is to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the areas of defense and trade.
Macron arrived in Jakarta last night and plans to stay in the country for three days. Indonesia is the largest economy in the region and a key strategic partner for France.
“We are very excited to meet again with my brother, President Prabowo“, Macron told the media shortly after arriving at the “Halim Perdanakusuma“ air base. He stressed that relations between the two countries are “extremely strategic and friendly“.
Military cooperation between Indonesia and France has deepened in recent years, especially during the period when Prabowo Subianto served as defense minister. The two leaders had already discussed the issue at the G20 summit in Brazil last November, including Indonesia's purchase of French fighter jets and submarines.